By Richardson Dhalai Wednesday, October 21 2009

The path has been cleared for Chaguanas West MP Jack Warner, Tabaquite MP Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj and Mayaro MP Winston “Gypsy” Peters to take part in the internal elections of the Opposition United National Congress (UNC) after the party’s disciplinary committee dismissed charges brought against them by the Basdeo Panday-led national executive committee.

The decision not to proceed with the charges was taken by the disciplinary committee after meeting with the three men and their lawyers at Rienzi Complex, Couva last evening.

The 25 charges were filed against the renegade MPs, nicknamed RamJackG, when they led a delegation to participate in a party national congress on March 22 which degenerated into a brawl between their supporters and security officers employed by the national executive. Warner, a FIFA vice president, was due to face the disciplinary committee today but got his date moved to yesterday because he had to depart for Nigeria last evening on FIFA business. Warner, Maharaj and Peters arrived for the meeting together at about 3.45 pm and emerged just over two hours later to inform reporters that all charges were dismissed by the disciplinary committee which is chaired by Surendradath Dookie. The vice chairman is Orlando Nagessar.

Maharaj said after listening to their submissions the disciplinary committee had no choice but to dismiss the charges.

“We made ...strong submissions in law to show the committee did not have any jurisdiction to proceed with these charges for reasons of bias and they could not have proceeded and there were no witnesses and the charges should be dismissed,” he added.

Maharaj said the committee stated there was no basis to proceed with the charges and they would advise the executive of its decision. “They withdrew the letter which required us to attend to answer the charges,” he said.

“It is a very sad day because we believe the party had to undergo this trauma and we really believe that this incident would provide a time for reflection and for those in the party to understand that it is important to have change within the UNC..It is important for us to have internal elections in the party.” In spite of their campaign for change in the leadership, Maharaj said he, Warner and Peters were not leaving the UNC. “We believe that the UNC can be the political vehicle to take the government of Trinidad and Tobago,” he said.

Asked whether this was the first step for a reconciliation with the Panday-led national executive, Maharaj said, “that question presupposes that we were never interested in reconciliation. We always made it quite clear that reconciliation is a growing process in any institution, but reconciliation must be based on principles and the principles of change.”

Warner said he felt vindicated by the result. “This has caused me unnecessary pain internationally and therefore in some ways for me it is a vindication. What we have struggled for in the end, we have been vindicated,” Warner said. Asked whether they would contest the internal elections, Maharaj said the question was “premature”.

However, Peters said while he was not interested in contesting a position in the internal elections he repeated the time had come for Panday to step down from the party’s leadership.