Farmers and some other segments of the PP coalition's foundation support are blanking today's People's Partnership PP anniversary rally although the party has offered supporters transportation to attend.
Venue for the rally is Mid Centre Mall, Chaguanas. Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and other PP officials will address the event. Persad-Bissessar held a meeting with her ministers yesterday to finalise plans for today's event. However, rice farmers and other farmers yesterday complained about eviction from Bejeucal land yesterday, on the eve of the Government's anniversary which promised to protect and further agriculture.
Head of the T&T Sheep and Goat Farmers' Association, Shiraz Khan, of the Movement for Social Justice (MSJ) Partner of the PP, said yesterday EMBD security was sent to evict rice farmers at Bejeucal. He said last month's issues pertaining to Chaguanas and D'Abadie farmers also were still unsettled. Meanwhile, the transportation offer to PP supporters was made in a personal letter from the party, inviting people to attend the rally. The letter is signed by PP leader Persad-Bissessar. The letter, which includes a glossy booklet of the PP's achievements in its one year, has been sent to all supporters.
Highlighted in black, the letter states:"Kindly contact your MP, councillor or constituency executive office to enquire about transportation arrangements. You can also call our office at Rienzi Complex (number given)."
But not everyone associated with the coalition is attending. COP deputy leader Robert Mayers and vice chairman Vernon de Lima, who have been critical of the PP's functioning, have said they would not attend.
Other COP officials said a decision was initially taken by several members of COP's executive not to attend the rally.
However, they said other COP officials were asked at the end of last week by COP leader Winston Dookeran to have supporters attend, "with at least one maxi taxi" from each seat. Yesterday COP chairman Joseph Toney confirmed members had been "invited by the political leader" to attend. Asked if COP was making arrangements to transport people to the rally, Toney said arrangements were being made by various constituencies to "get their maxi taxis and so on." An NJAC spokesman said the group "will be represented."
TOP leader Ashworth Jack said he was coming and a Tobago group also was expected. MSJ's David Abdulah said he expected MSJ to attend "in full force." But T&T Sheep and Goat Farmers' Association president Shiraz Khan, a frontline MJS/Fitun member, said he and other farmers won't be there.
He said: "The destruction of crops at Chaguanas and D'Abadie a few weeks ago hasn't been settled financially or regarding relocation, even though we met with ministers and they visited the sites involved. "We cannot contact the Agriculture Minister Vasant Bharath. He hasn't responded to calls. "In fact the situation of harassment of farmers has continued. EMBD's security yesterday stopped rice farmers at Bejeucal.
"The Prime Minister has gone back on her manifesto's word of prioritising agriculture. "Where are all the PP people who promised us to fight for agriculture before they got into Government?" he asked.
Khan added: The current Couva North MP Ramona Ramdial was president of the group that told us in 2008 they wanted to fight to keep the Bejeucal lands in agriculture. "We have further letters which show that Jack Warner wanted to take legal action against the then PNM Government on the issue. Where is their action now and why are they treating farmers like this?" Instead of showing up for today's PP rally, Khan said farmers were more likely to show up outside the Parliament on Friday to make their feelings known about the incompletion of the issues. He said none of the farmers present at a recent MSJ function applauded Housing Minister Roodal Moonilal when he spoke at the event.