'I am not looking for your votes, I am looking for your love'

CONFIDENT she will be elected prime minister in the general election constitutionally due next year, Kamla Persad-Bissessar has promised to construct a secondary school for the Baptist community.

"I promise you when we get back in government, I will build a secondary school for the Spiritual Baptist community. I will do it because it was already part of the plan. We have two new early childcare centres right in Princes Town. We had plans to upgrade the Cowen Hamilton," the opposition leader said on Saturday.

Her comments came two weeks after the Prime Minister, in a rollout of promises to faith-based organisations, said the Baptist community would be given a parcel in central Trinidad for the construction of a cathedral.

At the time, he was delivering the feature address at the People’s National Movement’s Spiritual Baptist/Shouter Liberation Day celebrations at the Sixth Company Recreation Ground in Moruga.

"Look, this is not mamaguy. I am not looking for your votes, I am looking for your love because I love you. I love you... understand that. I believe the only way you can succeed is through education. We have a special place in our hearts when it comes to education," Persad-Bissessar said.

Persad-Bissessar delivered the feature address at Princes Town Promenade after participating in a street procession from Lothians Road junction as part of Liberation Day celebrations. The event was hosted by the Shouter Baptist community of the south-east district in collaboration with the Princes Town Regional Corporation (PTRC).

Unlike Rowley who at the Liberation Day celebrations declared the event as being both political and religious, Persad-Bissesser did not.

She highlighted some of the works done by her administration as well as previous UNC governments for the Baptist community. Twenty-five acres of land were granted to members of the faith in Maloney for the construction of an African spiritual park, she said.

But the only one which, so far, has utilised the land is the group that belongs to Archbishop Barbara Gray-Burke while the others have not developed it. Under the UNC, she said, the Fifth Company Baptist School in Moruga was fully refurbished and that was at a time when the oil was $17 a barrel.

Among the supporters attending the event were Princes Town MP Barry Padarath, former MP Clifton De Coteau, Naparima MP Rodney Charles and Deputy political leader Jearlene John. PTRC chairman Gowrie Roopnarine and councillors including Deryck Mathura and Vashti Sookhoo.

Some of the officials from the Baptist faith were Archdeacon Emmanuel Boatswain, Rev Enez Smith, Bishop Mother Earline McFarlane and Rev Anton Daniel. Hameadah Caesar did a dance for the audience and Anna Boyce and Moruga School for the Performing Arts performed a skit. The theme of the event was Abuse me with love! Domestic violence is wrong!