United National Congress (UNC) leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar says the party’s lawyers will support Tobago House of Assembly chief secretary Farley Augustine and Tobagonians in the courts and will also support them in Parliament and on platforms.
While Jack Warner has promised to work to earn his place in the UNC and then disband his Independent Liberal Party (ILP) to reintegrate it into UNC.
Both revealed this when they spoke at the UNC’s “Accommodation 2023” Local Government Elections meeting at a packed Centre of Excellence, Macoya, last night when Warner was presented along with National Transformation Alliance (NTA) leader Gary Griffith. The three have joined forces to fight the PNM in the August 14 elections.
The high-energy event featured flag-waving, horn-tooting UNC and NTA supporters well beyond the 950 chairs available. Candidates for several areas were presented.
The meeting brought together the former PP Government frontliners in Warner’s first appearance on a political platform with the UNC and Griffith since his days as a PP minister. He resigned in 2013 after FIFA issues and had not spoken to Persad-Bissessar until appearing with her at a February Carnival fete.
Warner, dressed in a yellow shirt, told the cheering crowd, “This kind of greeting, I’m asking myself why wasn’t I here before. But as the Good Book states, nothing happens before its time.
“I’m here by choice as it’s time to accept the wish and choice of our political leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar to come together to fight the common enemy—PNM!”
Warner said he did not want to wear a yellow shirt with UNC monogrammed until he had earned the right to do so. Decrying “fence sitters”, he said he came to work with the UNC and NTA and when he earned his dues, he would call an emergency meeting of ILP and disband it, “Because the ILP has to be formally reintegrated with the UNC, we are one family!”
Stating crime and unemployment are high, Warner added, “We have among us the best CoP T&T has ever seen—Gary Griffith and the best works minister and national security minister ever seen. With Gary, myself, and the best prime minister, you have no cause to fear!”
Warner called Persad-Bissessar “the Mandela of T&T politics” by having him at the meeting. He told the crowd, “On August 14, there must be no tie, no political super over or 7-7! Let’s achieve outright victory in every corporation!”
He also slammed Ministers Stuart Young and Marvin Gonzales, and activist Juliet Davy.
‘Reign of terror in Tobago’
Griffith in blue, did not speak. Persad-Bissessar, sporting a green, yellow, and blue dress, said she was offering Warner the UNC logo immediately. She said he had not asked for anything for himself or ILP.
She queried why Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley and Police Commissioner Erla Harewood-Christopher have not surrendered their devices in the recent issue of allegations by THA’s Augustine.
Alleging the TTPS hierarchy has begun “a reign of terror in Tobago under the guise of investigating audio clips”, she claimed senior police informed her that the Government is using some officers “to confiscate sensitive information that the THA has against a Tobago company in order to bury it”, and current/former THA officials’ electronic devices are being seized to find any information on the owner’s operations under the former PNM-led THA.
Persad-Bissessar questioned non-investigations of other alleged witness-tampering, warning when the UNC becomes Government it will probe issues.
She added, “Tonight, I tell Farley and other members of the THA to stand strong. This is a PNM and TTPS attack not only on Farley but an attack on the people of Tobago. The UNC unequivocally states to the dictator and the PNM hierarchy of the TTPS, you touch one, you touch all! Our lawyers will support in the courts, and we will support in Parliament and the platforms”
Persad-Bissessar called on TTPS to investigate alleged political corruption by two PNM candidates in the LGE campaign: “State-funded grants used as bribes in exchange for votes in the LGE … pure corruption, misconduct!” she claimed.