Jack: I will be very stingy in campaign spending

2782927

The Independent Liberal Party’s (ILP) candidate for Lopinot/Bon Air West constituency Jack Warner will be “very stingy” in his campaign spending for this year’s general election.

Warner, an embattled former FIFA vice president, who has claimed he financed the election campaign of the former People Partnership government, told the Sunday Guardian why he is being conservative with his spending this year.

“I am extremely stingy. People must judge me on performance and action and my history. I don’t think I have to come here to spend money or to buy votes. I am confident in my ability to represent a constituency.”

As an example of Warner’s past political spending, in 2015 he claimed he has a receipt to show where he gave the Tobago Organisation of the People (TOP) political party $350,000 on April 6, 2012.

On Saturday, Warner, a former MP for Chaguanas West, was accompanied by over 25 party members dressed in green T-shirts in his walkabout in Tacarigua.

He went from house to house shaking hands with residents of the area and promising better representation if elected. Some people stood by their gates and waved out him, while others looked out.

An ILP vehicle was blasting “Jack is back” from loudspeakers while Warner handed out the party’s manifesto to residents of the area and chatted with them.

Mahadeo Rampersad, a resident on Huggins Street told the Sunday Guardian that the area has been poorly represented and Warner is like a brother to him and he will vote for him.

Another resident, who asked not to be named, said he will make up his mind on who he is voting for in a few weeks.

During the walkabout when asked by the media what he thinks about allegations that Persad-Bissessar is a racist, he denied that he has ever experienced racism when working with her.

Warner said in the US they say Black Lives Matter, but in his constituency all lives matter.

He said he has been getting “tremendous support” from all of the constituents and he is confident of victory.