Chaguanas has a retail industry which can rival any other town in T&T and the wider Caribbean region. This is the boast of newly-elected mayor of the central borough, Alderman Gopaul Boodhan. The 56-year-old businessman, community activist and former sports journalist, who presides over an equally divided three-party borough council, intends to govern through the consensus-building approach.
Chaguanas has a retail industry which can rival any other town in T&T and the wider Caribbean region. This is the boast of newly elected mayor of the central borough, Alderman Gopaul Boodhan. The 56-year-old businessman, community activist and former sports journalist, who presides over an equally divided three-party borough council, intends to govern through the consensus building approach.
Q:Mr Mayor, did you ever think you would one day occupy the mayoral seat in your hometown?
A: (At his Montrose, Chaguanas, home early Thursday morning) Firstly, let me welcome you to my very modest and comfortable home.
Looking at your spread, it is anything but modest (laughs), but carry on…
It is a pleasure to have you come here so early in the day. The question you have asked, and one of the things I have learned from my political guru Mr Basdeo Panday, is that when you are in office you have to be politically dead if you don’t aspire for higher office, and here I am today.
There was a bit of bacchanal for the election of the mayor because of the division of the seats. How do you feel about the whole process, the machinations which took place?
(Locking fingers on both palms) Clevon, I like a little bacchanal but not the unpleasant ones.
As a matter of fact, when somebody heard I was coming to interview you they said, “Clevon, you going to interview a true Trini ‘bacchanalist,’ but not the nasty type”
(A big laugh). I like the humorous part of it, to make the people a little happy in terms of the picong and so on. But you can ask me that question how many times you want, my answer would be still the same: what happened there was fully ventilated in the news media, that is all I have to say. I am not adding, subtracting, dividing and multiplying on that. Case closed.
How were you all able to arrive so quickly at a conclusion of the impasse, which at one time seemed like it was heading for a prolonged period?
The answer is the same as the above (Still laughing). Are you sure, Mr Mayor, you are not holding out on me by being politically correct? (Vigorously protesting, demonstrating with outstretched hands) No. No. I am not holding back anything. I thought you were asking me this morning things like how we intend to further develop Chaguanas in this new…
Well, wait nah, I coming to that...
(Interrupting) No. You see where you are going…that was yesterday, Clevon. The work has to go on.
OK. Before we get to your plans and vision for Chaguanas, how do you view the ILP as a third political force as is being trumpeted by its interim leader Jack Warner?
Everyone is free to choose a political entity which they feel would best serve their interest, but in the context of the composition of the Chaguanas Borough Council, the point is you have to listen to the views of all those around the table. We all want to make Chaguanas a better place, and to put a political or a philosophical spin on any political party I would leave that to the political pundits. Right now I am concentrating on taking Chaguanas to even greener—no pun intended—pasture.
And if you are not a good listener, you are not a good learner, and if you are not a good learner, you are not fit to be a good leader.
Over the recent years, Alderman Boodhan, Chaguanas has taken on an image of financial prosperity, with shoppers descending on the borough from all over the country. What is it that you are all doing that the people in let’s say along the East-West Corridor, such as in Laventille, are not doing?
When you look at its history, Chaguanas came from a farming community. There is a history of sacrificing, a history of co-operation, a history of people prepared to achieve what they wanted and structured themselves to uplift their standard of living, right? (Contemplative mode, with elbows resting on the arms of his black leather swivel chair) Where we are today, it is because of a very aggressive retail industry which could rival any other town not only in T&T but in the rest of the English-speaking Caribbean.
Another factor is our geographical position, located between the capital city and the industrial capital of the country, so it is a natural bridge between the North and the South. Isn’t it that the people of Chaguanas are more industrious than those in certain areas along the corridor? I have a lot of friends and associates in those areas, right? They, too, are very nice people, and I am not saying that because I think it is the nice thing to say.
Mr Mayor, aren’t you again being politically correct?
No. No. But you know what I have a problem with (Clasped palms)? It is the stigma that people associate with the corridor; there are so many wonderful people…
But you cannot hide the fact that the majority of crime is being conducted down there…
That is a subject for another time, Clevon. A subject for the coming together of all stakeholders in the country that is a critical issue. But let us go back to Chaguanas, nah.
I like how you dodged that question, Mr Mayor, continue…
(Voice slightly raised) No, I am not dodging the question at all, but the fact is the people of Chaguanas are working together to make it a better place. I am not saying that the people along the corridor don’t try to do that, too. But there are some factors that make it difficult in the context of Chaguanas.
Very well. Where do you intend to take Chaguanas in the next three years of your tenure?
(Cupping his nose and left temple with a thumb and one finger) We will embrace all individuals, NGOs and other stakeholders, the corporate community, and there must be consensus-building among all stakeholders. The question is what the greatest good is for the greater number of people, and in the next couple of days we are going to meet the traffic people.
What is the major problem facing your community at this time?
Right now it is traffic and its management. There was no established town planning which took place over the years. No zoning except in the last ten to 15 years and we are trying to work with what we have. We have challenges, and we want people to come in and continue the economic development of Chaguanas.
What about crime?
This is affecting the entire country. We must compliment the police officers in our division who are working extremely hard to minimise crime in the borough. We are looking at strengthening our municipal police to work alongside their central counterparts. One of the ways we are fighting the crime is through the setting-up of police youth clubs. We must impress upon our young ones about the need to exercise a greater degree of discipline which would augur well to provide us with upstanding citizens in their adult years.
We are going to listen to the voice of the young people with a greater degree of understanding their role in the future, of not only Chaguanas but the entire country.
Mr Mayor, speaking about encouraging young people to play a bigger role in the development of T&T, do you think the treatment meted out to young councillor Mohammed by the green party would cause young people to take active roles in the politics?
(Rocking back on his chair and a big smile) Clevon, you real real good, real good, you know. You know I now getting hot in the discussion with Chaguanas. You were going down with me real good. You were sounding like a Chaguanas burgess, we going down nice, nice. What you just did, you telling me to pull aside and stop. But we all have our views and we all have to make our own decisions, that is all I am prepared to say on this topic.
Mr Mayor, I notice you are deliberately steering away from controversy.
I am staying away from controversy because as I told you at the beginning of this interview, from where I now sit I am seeing no particular colour. What I am seeing is Chaguanas, its people, and I am going to stick with everybody to be sure that we have a very clear and distinctive vision for Chaguanas.