FIFA, bribery and Trinidad & Tobago politics: And Jack plays on

Minister Jack Warner

In politics, perception is often more important than reality. Google the phrase "Jack Warner bribery" and in 0.11 seconds you get 1.6 million results. Worse than that: Google "Warner bribery" and when you get to the second "b", Google intuitively redirects you to "Jack Warner bribery". No Prime Minister who is serious about restoring the rule of law and good governance will ignore the impact of this. Yet, the country is stuck with Warner, as the PM skips first principles of good governance.

In May 2011 the PM declared her support for Warner. This as Warner was forced out of FIFA amidst serious bribery allegations. The PM left the bribery allegations for FIFA to deal with. Warner did not give FIFA that opportunity; his resignation from FIFA effectively ended the matter. With the allegations unresolved, the PM had a compelling reason to consider the impact on her Government. She opted not to, and though she subsequently reduced Warner's portfolio, that appeared unrelated to the FIFA bribery allegations.

In October a video from the bribery meeting surfaced and public interest revived. The PM passed that off to the Attorney General, emphasising her continued underweighting of the events in the context of her party, government and country. Going forward it makes the PM complicit in her neglect of the first principles of good governance.