Saddam: PNM using URP for votes in marginals

Opposition Senator Saddam Hosein has expressed concern that the marginal La Horquetta/Talparo constituency may not be the only marginal constituency where the ruling PNM administration may be using the URP programme to influence voters.

During last Friday’s Senate sitting, Hosein claimed to have received a bundle of documents in his mailbox "which implicates a high number of high-ranking government officials involved in a scheme to use the Treasury as the purse of the PNM."

He claimed the URP’s management was given instructions in the constituency of La Horquetta/Talparo "that persons who belong to the 18 PNM party groups should be rostered to work with a gang of eight persons.”

Hosein told Sunday Newsday yesterday there should be a “forensic criminal investigation” into the matter.

However, Government Senator and PNM general secretary Foster Cummings said Hosein had not provided any documentation pertaining to the misuse of URP funds.

“I have no idea what Mr Hosein is talking about and unless he gives us some credible information we will not know what to investigate. We are not aware of any of these allegations he made mention of, and we are happy to receive any information from him that would warrant an investigation but we do not know anything about that.”

“He made some accusation by reading from a sheet a paper,” said Cummings.

However, Hosein said the Opposition party could not lay any documents in the Parliament as this is only done by the Government.

“I can’t lay a paper in Parliament, only the government can lay a paper… these documents were provided to me and they outlined various lists. I can’t disclose the persons whose names is on the list because of privacy but I did provide the persons who signed off on the list, who purported to be persons who are chairmen of various party groups in the La Horquetta/ Talparo constituency.”

“I had provided the information, I blanked off the names of the URP workers themselves, they are innocent in this whole thing, but the documents were signed by chairmen of the party groups.”

Asked whether similar occurrences could be happening in the other marginal constituencies, he said, “Well that is the thing, and we calling on them to explain whether URP or CEPEP is operating in a same manner in those districts.”

“You would have seen in the budget they would have increased the URP and CEPEP workers salaries to take effect the day before the election so that alone cam influence persons to vote in a particular manner.”

He said the rosters of only people who are members of the PNM party on the work programme would also influence voting as the party group is being used as an election day machinery in the election.

“What the PNM has done is basically put their machinery in place through the resources of the state.”

Rural Development and Local Government Minister Kazim Hosein, who is acting Works and Transport Minister as minister Rohan Sinanan is abroad, said he had not heard the allegations “in detail’ and could not comment. The URP programme is under the Works and Transport Ministry.