Indarsingh: Wages of sin are political death for PNM

COUVA South MP Rudranath Indarsingh has said there must be no forgiveness for the People’s National Movement (PNM), as sought by former labour minister Jennifer Baptiste-Primus.

He was responding from the United National Congress (UNC) platform on Monday night to the appeal she made last week, during the party's internal elections campaign in Tobago.

Indarsingh said people must reject the call from Baptiste-Primus, who is seeking to return as labour relations officer in the PNM elections, “just as the PNM and the Prime Minister rejected her as a candidate in the last general election.

“There must be no forgiveness for the PNM. The Prime Minister and the PNM have sinned for the last seven years, and the wages of sin is political death,” Indarsingh said.

Harping on her “resurrection” since the last general election, Indarsingh surmised, “She was fired by Rowley, rejected by Rowley, rejected by the PNM.

“Suddenly she is back on the scene seeking redemption for the PNM and Rowley’s incompetence and sin for the last seven years.

“There must be no redemption for the PNM. Why does she want forgiveness for the PNM when they have taken away your rights to send a message to the PNM in terms of postponing the local government elections?

“They have gone against the rule of law and the will of the people. Must we forgive PNM for that?”

Indarsingh cringed as he recalled the first day of hearings of the commission of enquiry (CoE) into the Paria tragedy in which four divers lost their lives, when their recorded voices were played, telling of their anguish, cries of pain and suffering underwater before their deaths on February 25.

“Jennifer wants us to forgive the PNM when we know the inaction of Paria led to the death of these divers," he said, referring to the length of time they reportedly remained alive in the hyperbaric chamber, according to the autopsy reports tendered into evidence.

“Must we forgive the PM for the interrupting and intercepting of the police merit list that led to the collapse of the Police Service Commission (PSC)?”

Indarsingh also questioned the billions of dollars allocated to the Ministries of Works and Transport and Rural Development and Local Government, when, he said, the road infrastructure has collapsed and is collapsing.

He called on Works Minister Rohan Sinanan to say how he knew $1 million could fit into a case of beer, as he demonstrated at a PNM internal election meeting in Sangre Grande.

Picking up on Sinanan’s submission that the PNM’s headquarters, Balisier House, was being rebuilt through the goodwill of donors, he asked how many crates of beer were donated by contractors.

“One of their own, Karen Nunez-Tesheira, told us that up until today it has cost $50 million to refurbish Balisier House.

“I seize the opportunity to call on the acting CoP, Mc Donald Jacob, to declare his testicular fortitude in the fight against white-collar crime – put caution tape around Balisier House. Cordon it off and declare it a crime scene and launch an immediate investigation and follow the money as it relates to how many donations have gone to Balisier House.”