Deyalsingh: Covid19 handling no guarantee of election success

St Joseph MP Terrence Deyalsingh said he did not intend to make the mistake of thinking that his handling of the covid19 crisis in TT would guarantee success in the upcoming general election. He made the statement at a PNM virtual town hall meeting on Monday which featured himself, St Ann’s East MP Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly and Barataria/San Juan candidate Jason Williams.

Deyalsingh drew a comparison between himself and WWII English prime minister Winston Churchill. He said after Churchill saved England from Nazi Germany, he campaigned on the basis of his wartime actions, and lost the election. The MP said people wanted water, community centres, streets paved, and other projects completed. “If I can’t deliver those things, I will fall into the same trap that Winston Churchill fell into. Brilliant wartime politician, but lost an election in peacetime.”

He made a commitment that “when” he is re-elected as MP for the area, he will focus on adult literacy for St Joseph, especially for young men who might not have been able to access educational opportunities growing up. He said there were too many schools in St Joseph for people to leave without basic life skills. He said having skills such as basic numeracy, reading, writing, and respect for elders and authority, would enable young men to take advantage of any opportunities which came along.

Deyalsingh said he looked forward to completing projects he had begun in his constituency once he is re-elected. He said too often governments begin projects in the runup to an election and walk away if they lose. He said, contrary to popular belief St Joseph is not a marginal seat. He said, often constituents were not motivated to turn out to vote because they felt neglected.

He said he made it his vision when elected to equalise living conditions in the communities north and south of the Eastern Main Road. He said he felt he continued to have success in achieving this goal and communities had begun to thrive as issues were fixed.