Jearlean John: La Horquetta/Talparo suffering, will vote UNC

WIDESPREAD suffering such as dire joblessness among youth in La Horquetta/Talparo will lead constituents to ditch the People’s National Movement (PNM) and instead choose the United National Congress (UNC) on election day, UNC candidate Jearlean John told Newsday on Friday.

While the PNM had won handsomely in 2015 by a 2,822 vote margin she said since then constituents had been let down and so she was unfazed by the PNM’s hefty margin. The PNM had won 10,428 to the UNC’S 7,606 votes, while the voters list now has 2,362 new/first-time voters.

Newsday asked what issues residents were raising with her on walkabouts.

“In Las Lomas the roads are in a terrible condition, primary, secondary and tertiary roads. In Brazil it’s water, which they have not had in the past four to six months. In La Horquetta they have water problems and leaking roofs.

“In the entire constituency you have joblessness. The rate of unemployment particularly among the young people 18-35 is up to 90 per cent.”

John said in farming areas many people can’t get security of tenure in order to registered as farmers and access soft loans.

Newsday asked why constituents should back the UNC to remedy these woes.

John replied, “We come with a clear programme with respect to what we are going to do from day one. On Thursday night if you followed our virtual meeting the UNC political leader (Kamla Persad-Bissessar) had a draft budget 2020/2021 in her hand, an actual document.

“We are placing greater emphasis on the creation of jobs. We’ll create 50,000 new jobs. We are talking about good jobs, in agriculture, the digital economy and encouraging the service industry etcetera.”

John said the UNC wants to lower personal income tax to let people keep more money in their pockets. “We also want to lower your corporate tax, from 25 per cent to 20 per cent or lower.”

She promised a laptop programme for children, homework centres plus help from a ministry of the people to be re-established.

“We have an emphasis on the poor and vulnerable who were doing very badly already under this Government, but now are actually being crushed with the covid situation.”

John said she brings with her candidacy a strong legacy of having worked hard.

“I show up to work very early. I’m on the proverbial ground with people. I’ve always maintained a very humble stance.

“I never leave people behind. They will get an MP who will be in office. I will not be an absentee MP, but I will show up.”

Newsday asked about PNM candidate Foster Cummings’ view this was a PNM safe seat, not marginal.

John said she did not know the reason for the PNM’s belief but ventured it might be based on the 2015 result.

“But when you go to the polls those votes are not embalmed and then put into a tomb as if it is a controlled environment. These votes are representative of people - their hopes, their aspirations, their dreams, their fears.”

John alleged even before former MP Maxie Cuffie had got ill, the constituency had suffered poor representation since 2015. “If you go through La Horquetta/Talparo, to a man you’ll see that for that period there was no representation. The Government did not even try, even before the MP got ill.”

She said the UNC will outpace the PNM in helping jobless local youth, many of whom were bright, but in need of a helping hand so as to not waste away.

The UNC had brought Project Hope to such youngsters, who attend classes.

“They have latched onto it. Who would have thought that the youths of La Horquetta would have loved agriculture the way that they do?”

Newsday asked her prediction for the election.

“Yes, I will win the seat. The UNC will win the election. I’m already advising my new constituents that the new MP for the area will be in her office from four am on August 11.

“The UNC is going to win the next general election. On August 11, Kamla Persad-Bissessar is going to be prime minister-elect of TT.

“Sentiment on the ground are very strong against the Government. It is based on the fact they (constituents) are being ignored and being bullied.

John said the people of TT are understand about hardship but want to know you are working on their behalf.

“They are very understanding people but don’t deserve to be ignored in the way the Government has ignored them.

“ If you see yellow flags in the Beetham, Laventille and Sea Lots, that tells you

there has been a seismic shift in the thinking and in the attitude towards the UNC. We are going to win this election.”