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United Force!

UNITED FORCE
Kamla Persad-Bissessar selected as prime ministerial candidate

Carolyn Kissoon and Kristy Ramnarine

The Trinidad Express

Sunday, April 18th 2010

It is final - Trinidad and Tobago’s leading opposition parties and some trade unionists have agreed to unite and contest the May 24 general election under a single banner.

And they have agreed that United National Congress leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar would remain as the prime ministerial candidate.

Following a five-hour long meeting at Kampo Restaurant in Chaguanas last night, the United National Congress, Congress of the People, National Joint Action Committee and the Movement for Social Justice announced that the decision was taken.

’Today is an historic day. There is no turning back now. We are fully committed to this movement,’ Persad-Bissessar said.

The UNC team, led by the political leader, included chairman Jack Warner and deputy leaders Roodal Moonilal and Suruj Rambachan.


IN THEIR NUMBERS: Flag-waving supporters of the United National Congress show their colours at the party's public meeting at Emerald Plaza car park, St Augustine, on Friday night. -Photo: ROBERTO CODALLO

Winston Dookeran, political leader of the COP, added: ’For us, this is a moment in history. We now embark on a road for political battle. Perhaps this is the first time there is such a coalition of parties together, taking such a unified approach. This is a fresh start,’ he said.

Dookeran said he was certain that the coalition would now be under scrutiny by the public.

’But we see ourselves as a patriotic group and that is what Trinidad and Tobago needs,’ he said.

Dookeran said it was agreed on ’common platform’ that Persad-Bissessar would lead the team into the general election. The COP team included Dookeran, deputy leader Prakash Ramadhar and Clyde Weatherhead.

Persad-Bissessar was also endorsed by former Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union (OWTU) president Errol Mcleod, chairman of the Movement for Social Justice.

’We are now on our way to rescue Trinidad and Tobago,’ he said. He was accompanied by leader of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions and NGOs, David Abdulah.

NJAC’s political leader, Makandal Daaga, led his team which included deputy political leader Nyahuma Obika. Daaga said his party was ready to join forces and he was looking forward to working with the united force. The first joint political meeting would take place next Wednesday at Fyzabad.

On Friday night, Persad-Bissessar said negotiations between the party and COP were concluded for both parties to come together to contest the May 24 general election against the People’s National Movement (PNM).

’Only a few hours ago, negotiations were concluded between the UNC and the COP,’ Persad-Bissessar told supporters at the party’s political meeting at Emerald Plaza, St Augustine.

’And as you know, there’s been a lot of talk about these talks. Is there really change in the air? Will it be different this time? Will we move forward united. Will we walk this historic road together?

’I can tell you tonight, the answer is yes. We move forward as singular, unstoppable, unwavering force for change. History is already happening. Change is already happening,’ she said.

As the crowd waved their yellow flags and posters - which bore the face of Persad-Bissessar - the Opposition Leader said it was time to take back the country from Prime Minister Patrick Manning.

’There were those who thought the UNC and COP would not come together. That we couldn’t find common ground to move our nation forward,’ she said.

’They were wrong. Patrick Manning was wrong. He didn’t want to call this election. He didn’t want to have to face the people. But we forced him and now that we have, we must grab this moment and take back our country because it was never for sale, it was never to be used for personal gain.

’So take my hand and join me on this path. Together we’ll make things right...

’And so when Patrick Manning and his friends get desperate and start the lies and the dirty tricks and that’ll be soon, believe me. It’s not going to work. This time it’s different. It’s not about him. It’s not about me. It’s about us,’ she said.

Negotiations between the UNC and the Tobago Organisation of the People (TOP) have already been concluded with the agreement being that the TOP will screen candidates on the sister island.

Mama Doc and Browne made Commanders in Chief of political army

‘Cabinet shift ludicrous’
Peter Balroop | 8:16 pm
Published: March 10th, 2009

Siparia MP Kamla Persad-Bissessar has labelled Prime Minister Patrick Manning's minor Cabinet shift as “ludicrous” because, she says, it has not adequately addressed several pressing national issues. She said the assigning of the Unemployment Relief Programme (URP) and the Ministry of Trade and Industry portfolio to Minister in the Ministry of Finance Minister Senator Mariano Browne, as well as Cepep to Local Government Minister Hazel Manning, gave no hope to a “besieged and battered” nation.

Persad-Bissessar made the comment at a news conference at the Opposition’s office on Charles Street in Port-of-Spain yesterday. She said there were many more relevant issues to be addressed in the areas of crime, health care, infrastructure, corruption and massive jobs cuts. She said Manning had unleashed the “four horsemen of the Apocalypse” on T&T.

The Trinidad Guardian

Our National Shame: Cuban doctors for the Prime Minister

The Prime Minister's gone to Cuba to get a tumor removed. He surveyed the length and breadth of our islands and decided there was neither a well equipped hospital nor one single suitably trained Trinbagonian surgeon in our entire country that could perform the procedure. He ditched us all and went to Cuba with his expense account, while we disbelievingly watched him go, choosing to put his life in the hands of Cubans instead of any of our own.

Unlike the Prime Minister we ordinary people are trapped with no expense accounts to fly overseas to treat a medical emergency. Heaven help us! We are left to deal with the evidently inferior medical services provided by our local health care professionals. I wonder what our local nurses, doctors and surgeons must think after being so snubbed by the man responsible for overseeing the development of our country, including our health care system and our hospitals.

This move is truly a defining low on the part of our Prime Minister; indeed it is a National Shame. I wish him everything he deserves during his recovery.

As Manning’s expense accounts grow our standards of living deteriorate. Obscene amounts of money are spent to maintain his life of luxury, while for us nothing changes.

This weekend 16 year old Tony Jaggan was beaten, stabbed through the heart and murdered by six men. Jaggan’s mother told the Trinidad Express “While walking towards MovieTowne, [his friend] Nicholas was struck by a car, and in retaliation he slapped the car's driver side window. The car stopped and its occupants, six in all, came out of the car, she related.

At the time of the incident Jaggan was some metres ahead of Nicholas, she said. When Jaggan saw what was going on, he ran to his friend's assistance. At this time the men in the car began taking out several weapons out of the vehicle, including at least one knife and an ice pick, she said.

When Jaggan and Nicholas saw the weapons they ran off. But in the attempt to escape injury, Jaggan tripped and fell, she said. Some of the men started to stab and hit Jaggan all over his body. Jaggan sustained a broken arm along with several stab wounds about the body, she said. Nicholas was also stabbed in his arm during the incident.

Jaggan's other friends stopped a van and the teenager was rushed to the Port of Spain General Hospital. Trinidad Express December 15th 2008

Someone’s child was senselessly murdered, but the Prime Minister is safe in Cuba with his sons and our tax money. Childhoods are lost, billions are spent but our young people are not any safer.

"$42 million will be spent on 200 luxury vehicles for use during the Summit of the Americas and the Commonwealth Heads of Government meetings."

$42 million that could instead be put toward buying ambulances, improving our emergency response services or upgrading our police patrol teams. A rapid response ambulance or the arrival of police on regular patrol might have saved the life of Tony Jaggan. Obscene amounts of money are squandered but lawless savages seem to be winning day after day.

"Manning’s travel expenditure for 2009 is $3.5 million, one million more than last year, even without his private jet.

Manning budgeted $1 million for medical expenses in 2009.

The Prime Minister's Establishment in the 2009 budget has $16 million to spend in the new year.

Manning has fired his army and police guards and is now paying the Executive Security Service $14 million of taxpayers’ money for private security.”
Richard Charan - Trinidad Express Investigative Desk Sunday, December 14th 2008

In 2007 “$1.6 billion was spent to keep 5,000 CEPEP people wastefully engaged in non-productive employment at a cost of $300 million. The other $1.3 billion went into the coffers of the PNM contractors and agents. When the URP criminality funding war chest is added to CEPEP it will turn out to be a $2.5 billion bonanza. That windfall was neither subject to accountability nor transparency. It, however certainly transformed Laventille and Morvant into killing fields.

$1.6 billion was spent under the UNC Administration and Trinidad got a new airport to show for it, large deposits secretly stashed away in foreign bank accounts and supporters facing the courts and in jail for alleged theft.” Shame and Scandal in CEPEP by Stephen Kangal February 24, 2007

In 1986 the PNM was defeated by the National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR). The PNM won 3 of 36 seats with 32%.  But Trinis have amnesia or else they are incredibly masochistic. There is no difference between our country 22 years ago and today except that many innocent people must die in order for us to remember that the PNM’s legacy is failed development, mismanagement of funds, criminality, and “all a we tief”.

Nelson Mandela called Robert Mugabe a 'Tragic Failure of Leadership' for while Mugabe lives in his palace in Harare the people of his country continue to live in a state of humanitarian crisis - they cannot afford food, are dying because of poor medical care and are brutalized by Mugabe's private army; any political opposition to Mugabe is met with intimidation and harassment. (Manning instructed one of the nation's security agencies to investigate Opposition MP Kamla Persad-Bissessar. "I have monitored the relationship between the Member for Siparia and the individual concerned for years," Manning told the Parliament in December.) In this regard I believe the term "Tragic Failure of Leadership" applies to Manning as well

"Imaginary" Dengue outbreak in Trinidad

With a straight face, Finance Minister Karen Nunez-Tesheira at the start of her Budget presentation said, “Our vision commits us to the nurturing of a caring society.”

The response of Opposition MP Kamla Persad-Bissessar better reflected the expenditure patterns of the Government: “The Prime Minister and his government have clearly shown that they subscribe to the view, ‘Keep them poor, keep them ignorant, keep them in fear.” - Trinidad Newsday September 30th, 2008.

There has been extensive flooding recently in Diego Martin, Port of Spain, Cascade and other areas in North Trinidad. This week commuters in Port of Spain recounted being scared and shocked at the way people cursed and threatened one another to grab a bus ride out of the flooded city. We have been reduced to living like savages, threatening one another to obtain a basic reliable ride home without fear, no matter the weather.

I wonder if the Ministry of Health has clued in to the connection between rain, flooding, large pools of water, mosquito breeding grounds or Dengue Fever. I haven’t heard of any announcements that the Ministry plans to increase the frequency of spraying mosquitoes given all the rain. Is this because Health Minister Jerry Narace still believes that there are no dengue cases in Trinidad and Tobago? What exactly is Jerry Narace doing everyday? Does he even work? Three months ago Narace informed the nation that there were no "confirmed deaths" from dengue after the death of eight year old Sasha Bickram.

By September there were numerous deaths and reported cases of dengue. At a Ministry of Health function at the Hyatt on September 20th 2008 Narace was asked to comment on the dengue issue. As expected he gave the generic "updates will be coming" response and then asked with a smile if we shouldn't be "speculating on what is in the budget" instead. Pardon me while I say what the fuck does an  outbreak of dengue have to do with speculating about the budget?

Narace is close to Prime Minister Patrick manning and is also the Public Relations Officer of the PNM. The Integrity Commission has launched an investigation into the dealings of Minister Narace based on a complaint from Caroni East MP Dr. Tim Gopeesingh, who claims that Narace’s family's business has been receiving state contracts. In September Gopeesingh told Parliament Narace and his family were receiving million-dollar contracts from State bodies through the family company, Reinsurance Company of Trinidad and Tobago Limited (Trinre).

"I received a letter today indicating that the commission was grateful for the information I provided to them. They had written asking for further information which I also provided and they indicated they are investigating the matter," Gopeesingh said. HotLikePepperRadio December 4th,2008.

Children, adults and senior citizens are dying from dengue, no preventative measures are being taken to deal with the flooding, much less the increased mosquito breeding from flooding and Minister Narace is smiling and dismissing a very serious question.

Tell us, Karen Nunez-Tesheira, Jerry Narace and Patrick Manning, are exhausted people resorting to threats of violence to escape a sinking city or Trinbagonians dying from an imaginary dengue outbreak part of your vacuous plan of action for "nurturing a caring society"?