Lee Sing: Chinatown a boost for east PoS

Chinatown can be the beginning of new enterprises on Charlotte Street in Port of Spain, former city mayor Louis Lee Sing said yesterday.

"If Charlotte Street sees that kind of growth then I believe it will be far easier for us to agenda an increased centre for business activity in all of east Port of Spain,” he said.

He was asked his opinion on the Chinatown initiative which seeks to establish ties between China's commercial capital Shanghai with Port of Spain. Charlotte Street was chosen as the location because of the history of Chinese businesses there, and two Chinatown arches have been installed.

Lee Sing said each city should have character, however, he said it was about more than putting up signs. Rather it should be characterised by restaurants, stores, and groceries, and other features which made it a Chinese experience.

“I don’t know that, as we speak, there is that capacity. So if there is not that capacity it means that the capacity will come and with that will come employment opportunities, will come business opportunities,” he said.

Lee Sing spoke with the media as he opened the Belmont office of the Port of Spain People's Movement (PPM), of which he is the chairman.

He said after 60 years of “broken promises” the people of Port of Spain want to go in a new and progressive direction. In that case the only choice in the December 2 local government elections is the PPM).

He said fundamentals and bare necessities that burgesses should be provided with by government were not common, especially to those on the periphery of east PoS. “The people are saying to me, having spent $200 billion in the last for years, what it is they have to show, they can not tell.”

He said a big difference could be seen in the state of one side of the city and another, and residential communities exist without a meaningful connection with each other. He said those were some of the reasons why the party was focussed on what it could do to make PoS a better place.

“Today is approximately 30 days to salvation... We believe this is the moment when the people of Port of Spain will rise up and say very proudly, “Enough is enough. We are not going the same way we have gone for 60 odd years.’”

Lee Sing said the members realised it was a big task to improve the city because there were challenges that accumulated over a long period of time in addition to new problems. Therefore they intend to take a “bit by bit approach.”

He added that successive administrations paid lip service to local government reform. “From where I stand neither the red or yellow will ever give to local government the autonomy required to the build the communities and the republic. These people who form central government are all afraid of losing their control. It is this very act that has kept local government in the backwaters of a dark lagoon.”

The PPM intended to contest all 12 PoS seats. The candidates are Alicia-Ann Martina Eifill (Northern Port of Spain), Sheldon Ali (St James East), Aaron Dos Santos (St Ann’s River North), Omowale Braithwaite (St Ann’s River Central), Clevelan Garcia (Woodbrook), Collin Fleming (St James West), Jaleesa Toussaint (Belmont East), Shania Christian (Belmont South), Jerome Aaron Wilson (Belmont North-West), Ashtine Thomason (St Ann’s River South), Dada Gabriel (Southern Port of Spain), and Michelle Primus (East Dry River).