Warner: PM until death

As he stood before hundreds of supporters in Couva on Tuesday night, Chaguanas West MP, Jack Warner, declared he would remain loyal to Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and the People’s Partnership until the day he died. Warner, who was one of two speakers to get a standing ovation from the crowd, said no weapon formed against Persad-Bissessar would ever prosper because she was inspired by God to bring betterment to the people of T&T.

His strongly-worded message, delivered publicly to Persad-Bissessar, threw supporters into a frenzy. They blew horns and waved flags, while many wore T-shirts emblazoned with Persad-Bissessar’s face. Warner said many people, including Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley, were trying to cause “kuchoor” (bacchanal) between him and his Prime Minister.

“But I want to say to them that it is Kamla and the People’s Partnership until death do us part, Warner said, adding: “I shall be here through thick-and-thin, in good days and bad days. I want to remind the PM what the good book says ‘no weapon formed against me shall prosper’. “As such, therefore, this no-confidence motion against the Prime Minister shall never succeed, any word spoken against her shall come to naught.”

Warner reminded Persad-Bissessar of their past battles. He said: “Together we have faced many common enemies. In spite of all these challenges and adversaries, on each occasion when we stood together, we were victorious. We shall not be defeated for together we are one. We have nothing to fear except if we forget the past,” Warner said.

He noted that Persad-Bissessar had kept the country afloat at a time when many nations were floundering. He said: “The economy is in good hands. Crime is not on the rise, infrastructure is being upgraded, buses have gone where, under the PNM, they have never gone before. “Houses are being distributed to the homeless. We have nothing to fear. The only thing we have to fear is if we forget the road from where we came. We must avoid that,” Warner cautioned.

Saying he was ready to debate the motion, Warner noted: “It shall be a long and hard night but you must stay awake.” He said Rowley had given the Partnership an opportunity to boast of its successful stewardship. He added: “We will show that what we did in 22 months, the PNM couldn’t do in 39 years, This no-confidence motion gives us an opportunity to show the world we are blessed with Kamla Persad-Bissessar as a leader.

“Her mantra is to serve the people. Those are not just words. Those words are based on a value system that she has ordered in her life. “We shall not be ashamed or embarrassed because the chronicle of her performance demonstrates that for every hurdle she faced, she has successfully overcome.” He added that history already had prepared a place for Persad-Bissessar, noting that only through unity will the Partnership overcome all adversity.

Guardian