Turnout for Max scarce at public viewings

UPDATED:

Shortly after 9 am yesterday, Phyllis Yallery grabbed her walking stick, closed her gate, hailed a taxi in her Laventille community and headed to Port of Spain hoping to catch a glimpse of the military procession, part of the state funeral for former president George Maxwell Richards.

Instead, having reached too late to view the procession, she made her way over to Woodford Square, finding the seat closest to the large screen set up by government for public viewing and looked at the ceremony. She was among eight people to do so. Woodford Square has a capacity for thousands.

“Maybe it’s because they have work or something,” Yallery said trying to explain the absence of her fellow citizens. “I came from Laventille. I came to see the procession and I decided to come take it in at the square and pay my respects. “It is important to pay your respects,” Yallery said.

Describing Richards as a great man who seemed loving and relatable to the average person, 71-year-old Yallery said as a president, Richards was excellent.

“At my age, and I here very long, I’ve seen a lot of what happened in this country. I’ve seen this country develop and the people who fought for this country and did good for this country so when it is time to show respect I will show respect.” Sitting on an otherwise empty bench a few feet away, Nicole Stewart, a public servant, said she took an early lunch so that she could go across to the square to watch the viewing. “I heard on news today that they would show it live so I came early so I could find a seat because we don’t have a television at work and I wanted to see at least part of it,” Stewart said. Earlier, schoolchildren from several city schools stood near the National Academy for the Performing Arts watching the procession.

Elsewhere in the capital city, tourists, in groups and pairs used maps to find destinations and milled around on street corners, citizens rushed to and from stores and their workplaces and taxi drivers shouted their destinations through their car windows.

ORIGINAL STORY:

A modest turnout of eight people sat in Woodford Square this morning, watching the screen set up by Government for public to view the state funeral of former president George Maxwell Richards.

The square, which can hold thousands, and is usually quite packed for Carnival activities was empty with the exception of a few elderly gentlemen who visit each other daily and the eight people who came specifically to pay their respects.

A similar situation was reported at Harris Promenade in San Fernando, where another screen was set up for public viewing and four people sat watching.

Earlier, schoolchildren from several city schools stood near the National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA) watching the procession.

Elsewhere in the capital, tourists, in groups and pairs, used maps to find their destinations and milled around on street corners, citizens rushed to and from stores and their workplaces and taxi drivers shouted their destinations through their car windows.