Environmental activist and member of the Highway Re-route Movement Dr Wayne Kublalsingh says there is a good possibility the People’s National Movement (PNM) will win the next general election. He made the comment while discussing his meeting last week with Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley about the Debe to Mon Desir leg of the Point Fortin highway. He said Rowley was empathetic and he felt certain if the PNM was returned to power, he would revisit the contract and the disputed segment of the highway. He added: “People in distress go to leaders and some leaders treat them with despair and contempt. “That was not the case with Dr Rowley. He treated us with civility and decency. He asked questions and I think at the end of the meeting he was sufficiently sure if he has leadership of this nation he would take a careful look at the Debe to Mon Desir highway and the Armstrong Report to determine whether it is indeed viable.”
Three weeks have passed since Kublalsingh’s group began its protest over Nidco’s decision to start work on the disputed segment. The group has been waiting for answers from Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar on whether she will abide by the recommendations of the report and for the court decision in the matter. On August 8, the group met briefly with Persad-Bissessar but got no answers. Yesterday it continued its protest action outside the Office of the Prime Minister, St Clair. At the small camp, scores of Kublalsingh’s supporters stopped by and showed their solidarity with the cause. Kublalsingh said the projected highway segment from Debe to Mon Desir would be sacrificing the affected residents when there were other feasible ways to deal with the project. “The pillars of good development are common sense and logic. It is a project that makes the people there into sacrificial lambs. It is basically common sense if you do the science, maths and accountancy,” he said.