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Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar is denying that yesterday’s land distribution ceremony in Chaguanas was an election ploy to buy votes for the upcoming Chaguanas West by-election. Instead, she said it was a 2010 general election promise to distribute residential and agricultural lands to former Caroni 1975 Ltd employees, something she said the People’s National Movement (PNM) had failed to do for ten years.
As she gave out the leases at the Centre Pointe Mall, some recipients became emotional and one woman cried tears of joy at finally being able to obtain land. In an interview during the event, Persad-Bissessar denied the distribution was a ploy to attract votes for the party’s Chaguanas West by-election candidate Khadijah Ameen. “It is not just about elections, it is about the promise we made in our conversations in 2010, on that election platform,” the PM said.
“You could say that it is the election part of it, but we made a promise in our conversations with the population way back in 2010 and we continue to deliver on that promise. We have two more distributions to do within the next six months.” Asked whether it was a response to the Independent Liberal Party’s (ILP) political leader Jack Warner’s call for Government to give lands to former sugar employees, Persad-Bissessar said the lands were being prepared since 2012.
She said considerable work had to be done, as no proper infrastructural works were undertaken by the PNM, despite them spending billions on the lands. She said, “This is not the first land distribution that we have done. This is part of a work in progress as we continue to deliver on the promises we made. So today is one of those days. “There have been several already done. We gave 1,000 leases and so we continue. It takes time for the preparing of leases so we continue to do it as I was mandated to do.”
She added, “All the leases will be delivered. It is not about anybody’s calls, it is about the call of the people and the promises that we made and we continue to deliver on that promise. “This is just a part of a work in progress, it is not the first time we have given out leases and it would not be the last time.” The PM distributed 132 leases for agricultural lands and 273 for residential lands during the ceremony.
Defamation suit
Asked about calls made by former Sangre Grande UNC councillors Dayne Francois and Lawrence Lalla for her to apologise for saying they were ‘bought out’ by Warner or else face a defamation law suit, she said she had not received any letters from them. “When I get the letters I will see what is in there and of course I will pass it to my lawyers. I always tell you, a lawyer who takes himself or herself for a lawyer is a fool, so I will pass it to my lawyers.”
She added, “I have received no such letters to date. I don’t know what is in there, how can I apologise for something I don’t know. I will need to see it.”