As the People’s Partnership backpedal….a little over a year ago PM Kamla Persad-Bissesar was in no hurry to ditch the Privy Council… yesterday, without really explaining what caused the change of heart, the PM, in one of her rare visits to Trinidad, honoured us with her presence in Parliament and announced that we will be waving bye bye to the Privy Council.
I guess being the odd one out in the entire Caribbean and insisting there needs to be more ethnic parity on the CCJ and watching Portia Simpson-Miller receive more plaudits than her for embracing the CCJ (whose headquarters housed in Trinidad) was too much and she had to get in on the action and limelight.
On Thursday January 19th Suruj Rambachan said in an interview to the Guardian of the trip to India: “It was a state visit at the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. “In a state visit, everything is paid for by the government of that country,”…
This morning I am hearing that the various Ministries here, as well as the Office of the Prime Minister spent money on this trip to the tune of $868,268.11 for the Prime Minister’s Sister; $2.9 million for people from the Ministry of Energy; $1.2 million for the Ministry of Tertiary Education; Public Utilities cost us $200,860 and Bmobile officials $304,961.
Some of these figures baffle me, because I am reliably informed that most of these officials travelled with spouses and companions….further, the PM also carried her pundit on this trip…so what was the fee for his services?
But let’s get back to the brass tacks of this matter. In January we were told that our purses didn’t feel the pinch for this trip….now were are hearing that millions were spent on the trip and to date note one word has been said about how we benefited from the trip other than numerous AP and Reuters pics of Kamla wearing malas, sarees and bowing to and kissing Indian officials.
Remember too that the PM said at first that she paid for her sister our of her own pocket…since the treasury paid for Vidwattie Newton’s trip to India are we now saying that the Treasury is Kamla’s pocket?
Is Ms Newton a public servant?
Is Travel Assistant an approved position within the PM’s retinue?
If Ms Newton is indeed a Travel Assistant, then what does Lisa Ghany-Weeke’s do?
If Ms Newton is travelling as a professional nurse was she hired as such by this government?
Why does the PM need to travel with a professional nurse (as she has insisted)? How ill is she?
These are all questions that for some reason my pro-UNC/PP friends think I should stop asking. Why? Shouldn’t I be concerned about state funds are used for? Should I wait for the Auditor-General to tell me State abuse of funds? Years after it has happened?
Were we lied to by this government about this “state trip” to India?
Have we been lied to about the nature of Ms Newton’s presence on her 11 international trips with the PM?
Why has Ms Newton been receiving checks from the Govt? In what capacity? Why is her address listed as the Office of the Prime Minister?
I’m sorry, but the PM’s announcement that she’s not answering any further questions about her sister does not satisfy me….a tax paying member of this society.
Glen Ramadharsingh, in an attempt at self-promotion in the Parliament yesterday revealed that calls to the child hotline has tripled in the last year. Ramadharsingh, speaking on the Children’s Bill…which was passed with 37 votes (YAY!!!!), was pointing out that he has increased monies to the Child Hotline….Glen, unless the money came out of your pocket….you didn’t do it, WE, the Taxpayers, did!!!!!
These increases are troubling….are we really looking after our children?
A 15 year old Bagatelle youth was shot in the back…residents are alleging it’s police, and the 21st Century Police are saying it’s not them….So, I going to assume that someone in Carenage shoot a bullet up in the air and it land over in the next Valley and hit the boy in his back…because everybody know that in Trinidad black people does only kill black people…and is only black people who violent…and if the boy was running, it had to be he was guilty right…..lawd help us if the bullet shells the villagers find really belong to a police gun….because then I will want to know why Police Officers here could only shoot young black men who resembling John Sandy in their back!
Sat Maharaj…aka the real Minister of Education….blocking TTUTA officials from entering the Tunapuna Hindu School….I can only guess that he owns the school.
La Brea villagers are protesting…..Tarouba residents protesting….Mon Desir residents protesting….every week some part of Trinidad protesting and showing their disgust with our Government…and these days the PM mum!!!!! Peas Tin attack she mouth and it swell!
2 days a go a Belmont man was found murdered in his bed….now another body has been found in Belmont with a bag over its head….repeat after me, “The SoE was a Success”…..”21st Century Policing is Working”……”We Have a Comprehensive Crime Plan”.
The latest television host to be targetted by the Govt is apparently Inshan Ishmael. Mr Ishmael is alleging that the govt is targetting him…specifically Devant Maharaj…and he is calling for Devant Maharaj to GO!!!!!!
I want all of them to go….and I done start to light my candle for them…because the longer this government stays, is then for sure we know:
De Vice Cyah Done!
The Eternal Pantomime 
The issue at hand illustrates that this government literally does not give a rat’s ass what anybody thinks of their abuse of state funds. They intend to spin stories that would make a midnight robber blush, eat a food and get while the getting’s good so who vex that is dey business!!! Look at the complicity with sat maharaj!! So u mean to tell me nobody can put this dude in his place? He can just flout the law with impunity? Oh right he can. He is big UNC…
Yep, yep, yep to all your questions. We are in deep doo doo with this government and the muck is really beginning to stink up the place. Dey ain’t betting they throwing wine on we, nah. In nine months’ time, ah new Political Party will be born. Ah cyant wait.