Housing Minister Dr Roodal Moonilal appeased protesting former Caroni workers by promising land distribution in three weeks. He did so after a handful of them threatened to disrupt the UNC’s Monday night meeting in Felicity. The former workers were chased away from the front of the UNC stage in Felicity shortly before Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar arrived. They accused the Government of poor governance and deceit.
Two of the workers—Ramdeo Balgobin and Rakeeb Mohammed—said they had been waiting to meet with Persad-Bissessar for months to discuss the plight of the former workers but she had been inaccessible. Balgobin said workers had invested in a “sweetener loan” in 2003 when the company went defunct but ten years later they were yet to receive their promised dues. Mohammed also complained that workers were yet to receive their residential lots.
Moonilal, who is in charge of land affairs, told the UNC supporters help was on the way for the former workers. He said under the Patrick Manning government, a court matter to deprive them of their promised lands was taken to the Privy Council.
“When we got into government there was a ruling and the judge said that Caroni lands should be prepared for workers and all infrastructure should be in place by 2008. Manning took that ruling to the Court of Appeal to deprive people and one of the first things we did when we got into government was instruct the AG to withdraw that matter in the Privy Council,” Moonilal said.
With regard to land distribution, he said 700 lots would be distributed to former Caroni workers for residential purposes. He also said all those who were deprived of their life’s savings by investing in the “sweetener loan programme” would also receive their monies within the next three weeks.