DAREECE POLO
Senior Reporter
dareece.polo@guardian.co.tt
The United National Congress (UNC) final rally ahead of local government elections on Monday drew hundreds of people to the SSL car park at the corner of Sutton and Gomez Streets, San Fernando, yesterday.
The numbers were a far cry from the “thousands” UNC politicians mentioned when they addressed the crowd but supporters of the Code Yellow Rally battled sweltering heat, sounding horns, whistles, and waving flags throughout the afternoon.
In the feature address, Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar repeated familiar calls for people to “stop toting and vote”.
However, she took a different approach to sway voters toward the UNC, as she sought to rile up a population whom she suggested was angry over the lack of jobs, crime, flooding, and mental health issues. Insisting that the electorate send a message to the government tomorrow, Persad-Bissessar urged them to release their anger.
“When you go to vote, release the anger in you! Release the rage. Bring out the Hulk in you on Monday. On Monday you are like the Hulk, you can move any mountain, you can trample any building like Hulk,” she said, quoting from late soca artiste Blaxx’s 2018 hit.
Maintaining her promise to bring stand-your-ground legislation, Persad-Bissessar recalled the home invasion in which Darren Nandlal, a central bank financial examiner, was shot in the head while attempting to protect his wife at their Orange Field Road, Carapichaima, home on Thursday night.
“Yesterday was Nandlal, today it could be you, tomorrow it could be any one of you. So, today we say stand your ground! We must stand our ground. When I saw this, it broke my heart. A 33-year-old young man, he was a national scholar of Trinidad and Tobago, bright, his whole life in front of him, died defending his wife against home invaders,” she said.
Persad-Bissessar named several other murder victims, including Simeon Daniel, Antoni Francois, Kevin Kyle Spring, Andrea Bharath and Ashanti Riley.
Notably absent from the rally was the leader of the National Transformation Alliance Gary Griffith who was listed as a speaker on the UNC’s flyer. When contacted, Griffith said the NTA held a motorcade that started at 8 am in Diego Martin and ended at 6 pm in Arima.
“Unfortunately, I was unable to make it. I couldn’t split myself in two. We hoped that it would have ended by 3 pm but there was a lot of congestion, and we didn’t expect that number of vehicles. I mean, over 200 vehicles in a motorcade,” he said.
Jack, Moonilal question PM’s wealth
In his address at the rally, Oropuche East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal demanded that the T&T Police Service (TTPS) investigate Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley and his family in connection with the purchase of two townhouses at Inez Development in Tobago. He repeated comments previously stated during the election season but went further by calling for the townhouses to be seized.
“Will the police investigate Allan Warner, Keith Rowley, Sharon Rowley, Sonel Rowley and others for proceeds of crime offences? I call upon the authorities to seize the two apartments in Tobago and investigate them for money laundering,” Moonilal said.
Jack Warner asked how the Prime Minister obtained his wealth to own multiple properties.
Warner, who is facing extradition to the United States for fraud-related charges over crimes allegedly committed while he was FIFA’s vice president, suggested it was unusual for Dr Rowley to acquire what he has.
“Tell us how he has become so wealthy in eight years. I saw a Form A and a Form B, I have never seen any prime minister with so much property in my life. He has become so rich, so wealthy, that he can spit on all of us,” he said.
Warner was referring to the Declarations of Income, Assets and Liabilities (Form A) and Statements of Registrable Interests (Form B) which ought to be filed by persons in public life.
Dr Rowley shared Form A, which is confidential, via his Facebook page last Tuesday, to prove that he declared the townhouse in question. Six other properties were identified, three of which were jointly owned by his wife while one is co-owned with his wife and children.