PM off to visit sick sister in NY

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar was scheduled to leave last night, on a private jet, for New York to be at the bedside of her sister Sally Ahamad. Ahamad, the PM’s eldest sister, is scheduled to undergo surgery for an undisclosed medical condition next week. A release issued by the Office of the Prime Minister yesterday said Persad-Bissessar was taking “time off on compassionate grounds to be close to her family at a time of great need.”  

It said Persad-Bissessar was “making this visit to be at the bedside of her eldest sister Sally, who has encountered a serious medical situation and is in hospital requiring surgery.” Within days of assuming office, Persad-Bissessar went to Pigeon Point, Tobago, on June 1, 2010, to attend the wedding of her niece Karen Ahamad, Sally’s daughter.

During Persad-Bissessar’s absence from the country, Labour Minister Errol Mc Leod will act as Prime Minister. Sources said it was unclear whether the PM would return to the country before the start of the new year on Wednesday.