Port-of-Spain mayor Louis Lee Sing says the People's Partnership Government does not share the same passion for the city as he and Port-of-Spain business owners do. Lee Sing said the city was "under siege." He said for "some" an identical passion was shared for places like Siparia, Barrackpore, Penal, Chaguanas and Debe. Lee Sing was the feature speaker at the first quarterly meeting of the Downtown Owners and Merchants Association (Doma) at Jaffa Restaurant, Queen's Park Oval,Tragarete Road, Port-of-Spain, yesterday.
Lee Sing said: "For every Trinidadian and Tobagonian, Port-of-Spain means something entirely different and we need to recognise that those of us who grew up in Port-of-Spain, either as residents or as students passing through Port-of-Spain for 12 years, Port-of-Spain means more to us than to those who have come into contact with Port-of-Spain late in their lives. "The passion that Gregory (Aboud) and Alan (Thomas) and all of you share for Port-of-Spain is not the same passion the present political administration and directorate share for Port-of-Spain." He said it was the lack of affection for the city which was preventing it from shining and sparkling. Lee Sing also criticised Local Government Minister Chandresh Sharma for not approving funding for the development of the city.
Referring to him as "Prime Minister Sharma", Lee Sing said: "As it stands, Port-of-Spain is a city under siege. Doma president Gregory Aboud said he was not quite sure how to interpret Lee Sing's comments about the shared vision for the city. In telephone interview, he said Doma had no evidence of Government's lack of interest. He said: "We feel that we have received support from the Ministry of National Security, the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Local Government is receptive to our concerns. "We are, however, worried that political differences between the main parties (corporation and ministry) can paralyse the affairs of Port-of-Spain." Aboud said Doma was anxious to contribute to "a healing" between the corporation and the ministry.