Senior Reporter
kay-marie.fletcher@guardian.co.tt
A visit by Minister in the Ministry of Housing Phillip Alexander to a Housing Development Corporation (HDC) development in Maloney Gardens was intended to address residents’ longstanding concerns. However, it quickly became political, with the minister blaming the previous People’s National Movement (PNM) administration for many of the problems raised by residents and the residents pushing back verbally.
While touring the development in the PNM stronghold of Maloney Gardens, residents took the opportunity to voice their frustrations over a range of complaints, including deteriorating housing conditions, poor maintenance and infrastructure issues to the minister.
HDC tenant Ansil Gomez said, “If I could carry you and show you my place. If you see my ground. If you see water coming through my window all the time.”
One female resident said, “They not doing nothing at all for the East-West corridor. They ain’t doing nothing. It have three ministers and what the three ministers is doing for Trinidad and Tobago?”
But Alexander told the residents the responsibility for the condition of the communities lay with the previous administration.
Alexander said, “I want to say this: there has to be an accounting of the condition of these communities. Somebody is responsible for this... This gentleman here is right to be upset. But he is wrong to say that the last administration is not to blame... The reason that I am here is to fix that.”
Some residents, however, rejected what they described as a continued “blame game.”
Gomez said the focus should be on addressing HDC’s shortcomings rather than assigning political blame.
Gomez added, “So right now, it’s HDC problem, it’s not the Government. Let we forget the Government.”
The residents also took issue with Alexander’s immediate response to their concerns when he repeatedly questioned how much they paid in rent.
Residents argued that despite paying a monthly rent of TT$350, they were entitled to the same standard of service as any other HDC tenant.
Apart from the HDC’s failure to maintain the infrastructure according to the residents, they also complained about the HDC’s failure to maintain infrastructure, saying equipment installed as recently as last year is already out of service.
They further raised concerns about poor upkeep of the grass in the area.
In response, Alexander said maintenance work would be carried out.
He said, “The grass will be cut. It may not be to the standard he likes or to the fact that he may want his friends and family back here on jobs.”
The minister also alleged that inefficiencies within the HDC had contributed to poor service delivery.
He added, “There were duplications of contracts. This is what we’ve learnt. The HDC was cutting the grass on one side of the pavement and there were CEPEP contractors cutting the grass on the other side of the pavement. That didn’t make sense at all. We’ve streamlined all of the operations to make this HDC more cost-competitive and functional.”
HDC representatives also gave the assurance that a maintenance crew will begin work on grass cutting as early as Monday.
But despite these assurances, residents remained unconvinced that they would see any improvements.
Gomez added, “No, I am not convinced. This problem has been going on for years and we’ve been ignored. I will be convinced when I see action.”
Nevertheless, Alexander repeatedly told residents that all of their concerns were noted and that “he will fix it.”
He also stressed that he was the first minister to walk the area and address the issues with the residents.
Guardian Media attempted to contact MP Camille Robinson-Regis, who also served as housing minister between 2022 and 2025, for a response to Alexander’s comments but there was no response up to press time.
