PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, Jul 30 – Interim leader of the Independent Liberal Party (ILP), Austin Jack” Warner today said it would be “premature” to say whether or not his party would seek membership of the People’s Partnership government following his convincing victory in the Chaguanas West by-election on Monday night.
Speaking on a television programme, Warner, who trounced the People’s Partnership candidate Khadijah Ameen by a two to one margin, said that his party would be meeting later this week to discuss the issue.
During the campaign for the by-election that had been occasion after Warner himself resigned as parliamentary representative in April in order to seek “re-validation” from the electorate, Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar laid out conditions for her former national security minister to re-enter the four-party coalition.
But Warner had always been dismissive of those conditions telling supporters that the coalition is not Persad Bissessar private property even though her United National Congress (UNC) party is the biggest partner.
Warner told television viewers that the officials of the new party will meet on Friday “and we will take some decisions…as to where we go from there.
“So it is not for me to say whether we in or out (of the coalition) at this point in time. It would be premature. But I will say we have been rejected publicly twice, we have been spurned, spat upon,
“I would that feel it is best to fight from inside, but if they do not want us, okay fine,” he said adding that hr was still awaiting the position of the other partners in the coalition. (CMC)
