(Analysis by RICKEY SINGH)

AS THE current bitter politics of embattled former FIFA’s  top-rank official,  Jack Warner, unfolds,  question of much relevance is whether the ex-football ‘paymaster’ turned controversial politician is not, in reality, engaged in a duel for survival—in whatever capacity?  As the saying goes, in politics all things are possible. Perhaps that’s why the irascible Warner, once the lead political ‘trouble-shooter’ for the United National Congress dominated People’s Partnership (PP) government, is now preoccupied in nailing himself to a political cross ahead of Trinidad and Tobago’s coming September 7 parliamentary elections and awaiting the inevitable clutches of the United States justice administration system.

For now, the unfolding distressing exposures of the flamboyant politician and former well-esconsed money handler within the hierarchy of the international football association, FIFA, Warner is increasingly revealing how much hatred he can summon with expectations of poisoning voters against Trinidad and Tobago’s first woman Prime Minister he was once competed to promote and defend—Kamla Persad-Bissessar.
The big question in this unfolding political drama is who will have the last laugh—Jack or Kamla?
For now it appears as if this 70 plus years politician and FIFA’s once influential money handler for income and expenditure, is bent on fanning as much political falsehood and hatred as possible against  the first woman to lead a major party and subsequently head a government with a record majority in Trinidad and Tobago.
To be guided by the official electoral register for the House of Representatives coming elections, it seems that Warner, former UNC chairman, parliamentarian and cabinet minister, would have to spread a whole lot of hatred to convince sufficient of the million plus registered voters why, on September 7, they should give him and not her the benefit on any prevailing doubts on credibility.
For his latest anti- Kamla politicking, Warner  chose  to go public last week  with the “news” that on  June 6, 2015, he had informed a local Justice of the Peace that back on April  12, he was advised  by former deputy Police Commissioner “of a packet containing four ounces of marijuana being found outside the window of Persad-Bissessar’s private residence….”.

Go tell the FBI”
What a place to “hide”; what “discovery”! Consumers of “the weed” must be having belly laughs. However, seemingly unfazed , the Prime Minister’s immediate response to Warner, her former National Security  Minister, was to take what he said was “found” to the local police and to now make his “information” available to the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
While other cabinet ministers were openly scoffing at Warner’s claimed marijuana “find”, it was being recalled in the local media that the Prime Minister had requested Warner’s resignation on April 20, 2013, following a public release of a Commission of Inquiry report by Barbados’ retired Chief Justice, Sir David Simmons, that made serious claims of corruption against the said controversial Warner.
Sir David had chaired the inquiry—that attracted national, regional and international media coverage—on behalf of FIFA’s Ethics Committee which identified Warner and others of its hemispheric body, CONCACAF, as having been involved in financial corruption.
Now the Prime Minister, herself a senior counsel and former Attorney General, is facing stiff challenges from the main opposition Peoples National Movement (PNM) under the leadership of Dr Keith Rowley for state power at the coming September 7 poll, while having to cope with the so-called ‘bacchanal politics’ of her once close and vociferous party and ministerial colleague, Jack Warner, of ‘FIFA’s “money fiasco” fame.
At the May 2010 general elections, her UNC, leadership of which Persad-Bissessar had earlier captured from the once reputed ‘silver-haired fox, the charismatic Basdeo Panday, a landslide victory capturing 26 of the 41 parliamentary seats.(including the then six first-time Congress of People’s MPs).
Although she could have comfortably governed alone, against the PNM’s dozen MPs, the Prime Minister opted to form what eventually matured into a People’s Partnership (PP) coalition government—holding together against the odds—to now seek a second five-year term, now against the first-time opposition leadership of the PNM’s Keith Rowley.
The opinion polls keep recycling basically the same messages of fluctuating popularity ratings, mostly in the  PM’s favour, as well as keeping alive hopes for both the incumbent and challenger with recurring projections of a likely “close outcome”. Well, we have until the late night of September 7, or early the following day, to figure out the significance of any negative impact from Jack Warner’s propaganda barrage against a second term for Prime Minister  Persad-Bissessar’s leadership.
If I may wager a bet, I think that when the curtains are drawn, PM Persad-Bissessar is most likely to have the last laugh!
(Rickey Singh is a noted Caribbean journalist based in Barbados)