DPTT's Steve Alvarez: Moruga not a two-horse race

DPTT Steve Alvarez on Thursday dispelled the perception that the battle for the key marginal seat of Moruga/Tableland is a two-horse race between the PNM and the UNC.

At 63 and with roots planted deep in the soil of the constituency, Alvarez is the DPTT's Moruga/Tableland candidate and the party's only candidate contesting the August 10 general election.

A project manager by profession who was involved in the construction of hospitals and other public buildings in New York and locally, such as the Unit Trust Corporation in Port of Spain, Alvarez said Moruga/Tableland remains near and dear to his heart.

While he lives in Diego Martin, Alvarez said, "I still live in my family's home in Gran Chemin."

He goes there every weekend, he says, and has been there a lot more regularly, having filed his nomination papers on July 17 to contest the seat. In addition to a home in Gran Chemin, Alvarez said his family also owns 300 acres of agricultural land nearby.

While both PNM candidate Winston "Gypsy" Peters and UNC candidate Michelle Benjamin have boasted about ties to the constituency, Alvarez argued that his roots there run deeper than theirs.

"I am a son of the soil. I am a part of Moruga/Tableland."

In campaigning over the last few weeks, Alvarez said constituents are crying out for better infrastructure.

"We have over 15 landslips from Princes Town and Gran Chemin."

Alvarez said his campaign is based on what Moruga/Tableland has to offer TT. One of those things is agriculture. Alvarez said Moruga/Tableland has some of the best agricultural lands in TT, and when one talks about scorpion peppers or hill rice, those products are only found in Moruga/Tableland.

He also said the area has untapped potential as an eco-tourism site, with a rich diversity of flora and fauna, citing the Trinity Hills and the constituency's many pristine beaches as other advantages Moruga/Tableland has to offer.

Noting that Moruga/Tableland has been represented by both the PNM and UNC in the past, he said, "This time the people are fed up with the two main parties. They don't want handouts."

Predicting that neither the PNM nor the UNC may win an outright majority in Parliament on August 10, Alvarez was confident of winning the seat and ensuring the constituency has proper representation in Parliament.

As part of the Better United coalition, Alvarez said the DPTT believes that more voices in the Parliament makefor better governance in TT. Other members of that coalition are the COP (which is contesting four seats in the election), independent candidate Errol Fabien (St Joseph) and the Port of Spain People's Movement (which is not contesting any seats).

Alvarez also said unlike other parties, the DPTT has been leading a campaign which is in keeping with covid19 protocols. He explained that he goes on walkabouts with no more than five people, mostly relatives. He said the DPTT's campaign also does not involve placing posters and fliers all over the constituency or the use of music trucks.

Alvarez reminded the population that the DPTT has been in existence since 2002. He said the party is "pledged to the good governance of TT, the rule of law, liberty for all human beings, human rights, equality of all races, human dignity, and to uplifting the standard of living for all."

The battle for Moruga/Tableland is a five-way contest between Peters, Benjamin, Alvarez, the Humanity Campaign's (THC) candidate Larry Sanchar and independent candidate Thomas Sotillio.

In 2015, the PNM's Lovell Francis defeated the UNC's Clifton De Coteau by 533 votes to win the seat.