Sando Corp labelled ‘eat ah food’ council

People’s National Movement councillors Robert Parris and Shaka Joseph says the San Fernando City Corporation  appears to be an “eat ah Food” council. They expressed concern after independent councillor for Cocoyea/Tarouba, Darren McLeod was appointed to four committees. He was voted chairman of Buildings Committee and Security Committee. He was also elected deputy chairman of the Physical Infrastructure Committee and Arts and Multiculturalism Committee.

Parris, councillor for Pleasantville, and Joseph, councillor for Mon Repos/Navet, objected to McLeod but were outvoted. Speaking with reporters after the council meeting, the two PNM councillors said they were curious about McLeod’s election to the committees.

“He is openly on record in disagreement with how the Government is being run, openly opposed the Prime Minister and here it is you give him two committees and deputy chair on two (other) committees so, that is four committees,”  Parris said. “He has power... I cannot understand that, something has to be wrong.”

Joseph added: “It is like an Opposition senator getting to be a minister or junior minister in government. That is just weird, that is just mad. They gave him too much authority.” The councillors also objected to the creation of two additional committees—an Environment Committee which was split from the Public Health and Environment Committee and the Sport Committee was a split from the Education, Sport and Youth Development Committee.

Parris said it was too many committees. “I think it is an “eat ah food” council,” he said. “Apparently the more committees that you chair the more money you get...I cannot understand why that particular councillor is chairing that amount of committees. “One of the councillors was totally disrespectful to the last chair (former San Fernando mayor Marlene Coudray).”

Earlier this year, McLeod resigned from the United National Congress after a public dispute with Coudray. He declared himself as an independent. McLeod, in response to Parris and Joseph, said: “It is unwarranted. I would like to think my track record speaks for itself as a councillor, as a chair of a committee. I am the first to submit on time. I approach my job as a councillor and a chair of a committee very seriously. I do not see this as something I do for me...I see this as something I do for the betterment of the city.”

When contacted for a response to the councillors’ accusation, San Fernando mayor Dr Navi Muradali said, “I have no comment.”