Duke: PNM trying to 'buy' Tobago East with food cards

WATSON DUKE, Progressive Democratic Patriots (PDP) leader and candidate for Tobago East in the August 10 general election, is accusing the Government of trying to win the seat by a massive food card distribution drive including to people who had not applied and who did not need them.

“How could a dead woman receive a food card for five years?” he asked, addressing a media briefing at the Public Services Association (PSA) office in Port of Spain on Thursday.

Duke alleged that while Tobagonians usually get a green-coloured food card, recently they had been receiving a red food card usually allocated for Trinidad. He said registration for the latter was usually very onerous, such as having to state your mother’s name, showing your ID card and utility bill, and making a declaration of income.

Duke claimed people who were not in need had not applied but had received a letter from the Ministry of Social Development saying, “Your application has been approved.”

He remarked, “It seems they have an abundance of food cards, dropping into everyone’s mailbox.” Duke said the recipients of cards had included PDP members who, he alleged, the Government was trying to induce to vote PNM, and undecided voters. He said many recipients had never applied as they were not at such a level of financial distress as to need this help. “This is unscrupulous, serious, vexatious and worrisome, to understand that kind of desperation.”

Duke claimed other deserving “sons and daughters” were yearning for food cards but not getting them.

He called for a response from the ministry’s permanent secretary who, he hoped, could be identified as he claimed two women were playing a game of musical chairs to fill this position.

“You can buy food items or non-food items or withdraw money from it,” he claimed of the card.

Duke also alleged the Government was secretly giving away fridges and stoves in Tobago, at an empty warehouse in Roxborough, Tobago.

Asked why he hadn’t reported his claims to the police, Duke alleged the police top brass in both Tobago and Trinidad supported the PNM.

Minister of Social Development Camille Robinson-Regis told Newday, "I don't know anything about that."

She said the only food cards she now knew about were the 500 food cards (valued at $500 per month for three months) given to each MP during the covid19 lockdown for pupils otherwise receiving school meals.

"Those are all the cards we got. I don't know what he is saying."

She said all children in Tobago were enrolled in the school feeding programme, even as the covid19 food cards would not be given on top of any regular food card already received by any family from her ministry.

Robinson-Regis speculated these children might have got food cards from the Tobago authorities, but as far as Trinidad and Tobago was concerned her ministry had given out 500 food cards to each MP and no more.

"So I don't know where Mr Duke got his spurious allegation. We don't use food cards to win elections. We rely on our integrity. I know in the last election, food cards were used by the UNC. He must be mixing up his parties. Not the PNM!"