President Anthony Carmona has agreed to review the Dr James Armstrong report, produced by a team of NGOs, civic groups, unions and the Joint Consultative Council, regarding the controversial Mon Desir to Debe section of the $7.2 billion Solomon Hochoy Highway extension to Point Fortin. After he completes this review, Carmona will meet again with environmentalist Dr Wayne Kublalsingh and his Highway Re-route Movement next month to discuss his (Carmona’s) interpretation of the report.
That was the word from Kublalsingh yesterday after a two-hour meeting with Carmona at the President’s House, Port-of-Spain. Kublalsingh, who spoke to the media after the meeting at around 11 am, told reporters Carmona was both gracious and inquisitive about the information presented. He added: “He was particularly interested in the court matter. He asked us questions about the court matter and he was also extremely interested in the Armstrong report.
“He asked us how we could help and we informed him we could not tell him how to help us. He needs to take the information that we provided him with.” Kublalsingh noted that Carmona informed them he could not change any decision of the Government. “He did advise us he had no executive powers but he had strong advisory powers,” he said, adding he was told by Carmona that the President communicated with the executive arm of Government frequently.
Kublalsingh said he felt Carmona was interested in the matter as he had noticed several newspaper clippings relating to the highway issue. He said he felt Carmona shared the nation’s concern that there were so many competing groups and different issues involved and that he (Carmona) was not clear on the movement’s issues. “He had a general idea of the fundamental idea of the issues involved but we had to provide him with the details,” he added.
Kublalsingh said he felt happy after his meeting with Carmona. “He treated us very graciously, with great dignity and great respect and I am very appreciative of that because we have not been treated with dignity and respect by the executive arm of this Government,” he said.
Kublalsingh said he felt Carmona would continue to treat with the matter in a cordial way. “He used to be a prosecutor and a judge and I think he is very much conditioned to hearing issues and pursuing issues over a long period of time in a very scientific and methodical manner,” he added. Kublalsingh said the reason he went to the President was to inform him of the issue. “It involves issues of big Government expenditure. It involves issues of transparency and accountancy. It involves very important issues,” he said.
After the meeting with the Carmona, Kublalsingh joined other members of the Highway Re-route Movement on Gray Street, St Clair, opposite the Prime Minister’s Office, to continue the seventh day of peaceful protests.
Kublalsingh spent 21 days in that same location last year during a hunger strike in protest of Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s refusal to do an independent review, including a cost-benefit analysis and impact assessment of building the highway through the Mon Desir community.
After the intervention of civil society groups, such as the Federation of Independent Trade Unions and Non-Governmental Organisations (Fitun), Persad-Bissessar agreed to an independent review and charged then Independent Senator Armstrong with heading the exercise. The essence of Kublalsingh’s group’s protest is that constructing the community will not only damage the environment but also displace over 200 families.
They returned to protest action outside the OPM last week after Nidco announced it planned to start the Mon Desir to Debe leg of the highway although the movement had the matter before the court.