Farmers and union leaders yesterday condemned Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar for refusing to speak with them when they confronted her outside the Housing Development Corporation's office, South Quay. Port-of-Spain. "I feel very hurt. After all we have done to feed this country... and today our Prime Minister disrespected us," said T&T Sheep and Goat Farmers' Association president Shiraz Khan.
The development occurred on the eve of today's meeting between Government and farmers to resolve the HDC's destruction of crops at Chaguanas and D'Abadie last Monday. Farmers were joined in protest demonstration through downtown Port-of-Spain by OWTU president Ancel Roget and members, BIGWU president Vincent Cabrera and his executive officials, a CEPEP unit from Arouca and representatives of other activist units affiliated with the PP Government.
The group gathered at Woodford Square before walking to HDC's office where Persad- Bissessar was attending an 11 am function. The major part of that function ended around 12.10 pm. At 12.45 pm, Persad-Bissessar emerged from the HDC Building, escorted by Housing Minister Roodal Moonilal - main target of farmers' anger - and were confronted by a booing throng kept at bay by police. The crowd aimed their wrath at Moonilal, chanting: "Moonilal must go!" He waved and grinned at them but stayed in the background. Persad-Bissessar, heading to her car, broke formation and moved to the pavement where the group was protesting.
She went up to a little boy in a blue shirt who was among protestors and reached down to him. She, however, did not address farmers. Surrounded by security officers and police. Persad- Bissessar told the T&T Guardian a meeting of the two ministers in the issue - Agriculture's Vasant Bharath and Housing's Moonilal - will take place at 3 pm today. She said the matter would be dealt with then.
After the PM left for a Cascadia luncheon, chanting farmers walked through downtown Port-of-Spain to the Financial Complex and back to Woodford Square where they condemned Persad-Bissessar's silence.
Khan said: "When this lady was UNC political leader she met us in Fitun and we told her we were very hurt when UNC was in office and felt treated with disrespect. "She apologised, saying they made mistakes and sought our support. She said it would never happen again." Khan said unions had contributed to PP's manifesto which included respect for agriculture, yet he said the Prime Minister had disrespected them yesterday. Khan added: "It hurts, it hurts. It hurts." OWTU's Roget added: "To come out, Madame Prime Minister and to look at the farmers, waiting to hear from you, knowing full well they were protesting all morning and you only once again performed a public relations stunt at the expense of greeting a little child who couldn't be in school since he had to be with his parents protesting..."
Saying they were not taking any level of disrespect, Roget added: "Public relations can't replace bulldozed crops. You can't take PR to the bank or to school. "The time for smiling and dancing and PR has to stop and time for performance must start. You have to stop tarnishing your Government's image and remove Moonilal." Warning there will be no industrial peace, Roget said the "real struggle" would begin when workers and farmers hit the streets. "Who vex, loss in this battle," he added. Speaking prior to proceeding to HDC, Khan cited a March 24 document from the Commissioner of State Lands which showed that the Egypt Village lands in question were not identified in allocated land for divestment.
The document stated only outline planning approval was granted and there were 22 farmers on 40-plus hectares for between 12 to 40 years. The document stated that lands were not vested by the State with the HDC or Estate Management Business Corporation and that the HDC's bulldozing was illegal and should not take place. The document stated quit notices to farmers should be withdrawn.Khan said Moonilal had therefore broken the law. He added: "The Prime Minister now has no choice but to remove Moonilal. We've asked lawyers to initiate action for every farmer bulldozed and not for peppercorn money.
"We want all the money we are owed for destruction of crops and more. "For every day our children had to stay home from school, you will pay for that."