JavaScript is disabled in your web browser or browser is too old to support JavaScript. Today almost all web pages contain JavaScript, a scripting programming language that runs on visitor's web browser. It makes web pages functional for specific purposes and if disabled for some reason, the content or the functionality of the web page can be limited or unavailable.

Tuesday, July 8, 2025

Af­ter face-to-face protest...

PM: I won't be distracted from serving entire nation

by

20110505

While Prime Min­is­ter Kam­la Per­sad-Bisses­sar says noth­ing will dis­tract her from seek­ing to serve the en­tire na­tion and not sec­toral in­ter­est, Hous­ing Min­is­ter Dr Mooni­lal said yes­ter­day's protest by farm­ers out­side the HDC was "a gross dis­re­spect to the Prime Min­is­ter." Per­sad-Bisses­sar spoke in a tele­phone in­ter­view, hours af­ter yes­ter­day's protest ac­tion by farm­ers out­side the Hous­ing De­vel­op­ment Cor­po­ra­tion on George Street, Port-of-Spain. She had ear­li­er pre­sent­ed suc­cess­ful ap­pli­cants with keys to their hous­ing units.

At the HDC yes­ter­day Per­sad-Bisses­sar came face-to-face with pro­test­ers who de­mand­ed the re­moval of Hous­ing and the En­vi­ron­ment Min­is­ter Dr Roodal Mooni­lal. She said when she emerged from the HDC's of­fices on George Street, she saw the pro­test­ers and pro­ceed­ed to greet them. She said they were chant­i­ng: "Mooni­lal must go! Mooni­lal must go." But Per­sad-Bisses­sar said she would not al­low such in­ci­dents to shift her fo­cus of serv­ing the na­tion­al com­mu­ni­ty. "I will not be dis­tract­ed," she stressed. "They may have cause for con­cern."Asked to com­ment on the protest ac­tion yes­ter­day, the Prime Min­is­ter said she felt it could have been done dif­fer­ent­ly.

She quick­ly added that she re­mained com­mit­ted to look­ing at the big­ger pic­ture. Mooni­lal, al­so in a sub­se­quent tele­phone in­ter­view, said yes­ter­day's protest by farm­ers out­side the HDC was "a gross dis­re­spect to the Prime Min­is­ter." He said the farm­ers "hound­ed down the Prime Min­is­ter and that was in no way a good thing as di­a­logue is con­tin­u­ing on the mat­ter." He said he want­ed to con­demn the protest by farm­ers. "To­day is a for­get­table day... it is a pity," Mooni­lal in­sist­ed. Per­sad-Bisses­sar said she was pre­pared to see the re­sults of to­day's meet­ing be­tween the farm­ers and Mooni­lal and Food Pro­duc­tion Min­is­ter Vas­ant Bharath. Mooni­lal, in yes­ter­day's in­ter­view, in­sist­ed that his spir­it was not daunt­ed by the an­ti-Mooni­lal chants yes­ter­day.

"I get enor­mous strength in these cir­cum­stances and with col­lec­tive Cab­i­net re­spon­si­bil­i­ty...this is not a mat­ter for the faint-heart­ed," he said. He said pol­i­tics was not a mat­ter of be­ing pop­u­lar at all times. Mooni­lal said he would be at­tend­ing to­day's meet­ing com­mit­ted to do all he can to en­sure the mat­ter was re­solved am­i­ca­bly. He stressed that the farm­ers should "take out their frus­tra­tions on me and not the Prime Min­is­ter."


Related articles

Sponsored

Weather

PORT OF SPAIN WEATHER

Sponsored

Today's
Guardian

Publications

A model in a costume from The Lost Tribe’s 2026 presentation Island Circus

A model in a costume from The Lost Tribe’s 2026 presentation Island Circus

KERWIN PIERRE

A model in a costume from The Lost Tribe’s 2026 presentation Island Circus

A model in a costume from The Lost Tribe’s 2026 presentation Island Circus

KERWIN PIERRE

Ringmasters of the Road: Crowds flock to Tribe’s circus-themed band launch

13 hours ago
Students, principal and staff of St David’s RC Primary, along with the UWTT and Scotiabank Foundation teams at the handover of steelpans at the school.

Students, principal and staff of St David’s RC Primary, along with the UWTT and Scotiabank Foundation teams at the handover of steelpans at the school.

Students, principal and staff of St David’s RC Primary, along with the UWTT and Scotiabank Foundation teams at the handover of steelpans at the school.

Students, principal and staff of St David’s RC Primary, along with the UWTT and Scotiabank Foundation teams at the handover of steelpans at the school.

Scotiabank Foundation, United Way donate steelpans

13 hours ago
The Executive of the National Parang Association 2025-27. Back row, from left: Kervin Preudhomme, assistant secretary; Shaquille Headley, committee member; Cheriese Pierre, committee member; Lisa Lee, trustee; Joanne Briggs, PRO; Yarelis Touissant, committee member; William Calliste, trustee. Front row, from left: Jenais Carter, secretary; Alicia Jaggasar, president; Henrietta Carter, vice president; Joseph Bertrand, youth officer. Missing: Kerrylee Chee Chow, treasurer; Chevone Pierre, committee member.

The Executive of the National Parang Association 2025-27. Back row, from left: Kervin Preudhomme, assistant secretary; Shaquille Headley, committee member; Cheriese Pierre, committee member; Lisa Lee, trustee; Joanne Briggs, PRO; Yarelis Touissant, committee member; William Calliste, trustee. Front row, from left: Jenais Carter, secretary; Alicia Jaggasar, president; Henrietta Carter, vice president; Joseph Bertrand, youth officer. Missing: Kerrylee Chee Chow, treasurer; Chevone Pierre, committee member.

The Executive of the National Parang Association 2025-27. Back row, from left: Kervin Preudhomme, assistant secretary; Shaquille Headley, committee member; Cheriese Pierre, committee member; Lisa Lee, trustee; Joanne Briggs, PRO; Yarelis Touissant, committee member; William Calliste, trustee. Front row, from left: Jenais Carter, secretary; Alicia Jaggasar, president; Henrietta Carter, vice president; Joseph Bertrand, youth officer. Missing: Kerrylee Chee Chow, treasurer; Chevone Pierre, committee member.

The Executive of the National Parang Association 2025-27. Back row, from left: Kervin Preudhomme, assistant secretary; Shaquille Headley, committee member; Cheriese Pierre, committee member; Lisa Lee, trustee; Joanne Briggs, PRO; Yarelis Touissant, committee member; William Calliste, trustee. Front row, from left: Jenais Carter, secretary; Alicia Jaggasar, president; Henrietta Carter, vice president; Joseph Bertrand, youth officer. Missing: Kerrylee Chee Chow, treasurer; Chevone Pierre, committee member.

Jaggasar returns as National Parang president

Yesterday
Charles Town junior drummers and dancers take to the stage

Charles Town junior drummers and dancers take to the stage

Charles Town junior drummers and dancers take to the stage

Charles Town junior drummers and dancers take to the stage

Jamaican Maroons celebrate, question land rights

Yesterday