Rambharat: Get out and vote

Agriculture Minister Clarence Rambharat touched on the issue of land tenure at a PNM meeting on Tuesday night, saying the problem affects people around the country.
“I deal with people who have been waiting for leases for the past 25-30 years,” he told a crowd in Siparia.

Rambharat said some of the most productive farmers did not have leases to their land.

“In Orange Grove, not one lease has ever been given out. But we are also working on that aspect of it.”

He also addressed squatting saying this was a problem across TT which included squatting on state lands, forest reserve,  and Petrotrin lands.

Squatting is especially prevalent in northeast Trinidad, he said, citing the Valencia Long Stretch, where 2,660 acres had been overtaken by squatters. So, he said, a decision had been made to take the lands out of the forest reserve and give out leases and resolve the issue.

Dark and dreary conditions could not dampen the spirit of the PNM party faithful as they converged at the Siparia market auditorium.

The party's local government campaign rolled into the marginal Siparia regional corporation area on Tuesday night.

Siparia East/San Francique South candidate Donelle Halls Alexander kicked off the meeting with a promise to bring back Siparia Fete as a major attraction in the borough.
Rambharat said he only had one message for the crowd – get out the vote. He said the PNM had lost the corporation in 2016 because supporters had not turned up at the polling stations.

“Just over half of the people were not voting in any local government election,” he said, urging, “We have to stop leaving PNM people home in their beds. We have to get them out. In 2016, we were sure we would take the corporation, but we have some work to do. Let’s get it done.”

He also spoke about the Sangre Grande corporation where he said the party was making “great inroads” in the split corporation.

“We need to get them out in Sangre Grande too,” he said, adding, “There are supporters who are left home sleeping on their beds or in the outhouse. We have to stop that.”

He said the excuses for not turning out included: “‘Mih hand hurting me, pass back for me.’ But we have to stop that…” he insisted. “All you have to do is work to bring out our votes to bring it home.”