[UPDATED] Point Fortin election candidates confident in chances to win

POINT Fortin candidates for the general election who filed their nomination papers on April 4 all expressed confidence that they will win at the polls on April 28.

There were scores of supporters in red, yellow and blue just outside the building, accompanied by loud music trucks and even moko jumbies. The groups of supporters interacted with each other but showed no animosity.

There was a mixture of new and returning faces at the Patrick Gordon Building along the Southern Main Road.

Those returning included outgoing MP Kennedy Richards Jr for the PNM and Ernesto Kesar for the UNC, who contested under the Movement for Social Justice (MSJ) in 2020.

Among the new faces to candidacy were Errol Fabien for the National Transformation Alliance (NTA) and Sheldon Khan for the All People’s Party (APP).

Newsday spoke to Richards ahead of filing his nomination papers and he said he anticipated a quick process.

He said the PNM has done a lot for the constituency and he will continue to do so.

"I'm not too concerned about the competitors. I am campaigning on performance. I came here and I performed for the last four-and-a-half years."

He said although he is now campaigning for the election, he has always been involved in the communities of the constituency.

He said the feedback from constituents has been positive and expects "even bigger numbers than the last time."

He said there are ongoing projects as well, which provide job opportunities for young people.

"We started on Coronation Park which has been a project that has been outstanding for 40 years..."

All other candidates said the filing process went smoothly and commended the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC).

However, they all said not enough is being done in the area, commenting on unemployment, bad roads and lack of performing arts spaces.

"There appears to be a lot of discontent with the ruling party but there's a lot of noise being made by the opposition. I'm trying to come down the middle and let people know you don't owe your vote to anybody. Think about it, choose a candidate with respect to a direction you'd like to see your constituency move in and then vote," Fabien said.

He added that he does not think it is a "big task" to defeat the PNM.

He added he did not like how the PNM treated Richards Jr as he was not given any ministerial portfolios.

"People in Point Fortin have been insulted, neglected, taken advantage of...You're not seeing smiling people in Point Fortin any more and I can change that."

Kesar said the current government failed to deliver several promises, but he will not engage in any tit-for-tat as "they know what they did not do.

"The UNC is marching towards victory...April 29 will be freedom day in TT. We will be free from the oppressive policies of the PNM."

OWTU president-general Ancel Roget, UNC's La Brea candidate Clyde Elder, UNC chairman Dave Tancoo and councillor for Cedros Shankar Teelucksingh all joined Kesar to show their support.

Kesar said the feedback on the ground has been very encouraging.

"But as I keep saying to everyone, sentiments don't win elections – votes do."

He said it is the first time since 2010 that he has seen UNC politicians walk through the constituency and not be ridiculed.

"I only hope and pray that level of respect and sentiment will translate to a victory at the polls."

And for Khan, he said he has been seeing a lot of road paving in the constituency since the election date was announced on March 18.

Khan is a businessman from Chatham. He said people from Point Fortin often ask him to highlight their issues. He said some of those people were a short walk away campaigning with the UNC.

"There's this big disconnect. I think political parties are like cats during election time. Around election time, they want to cuddle up on you and rub up on you and after the election, they show you their claws."

He said there are too many unemployed people in Point Fortin, which is why he wants to focus on technical vocational training for youths.

This story was originally published with the title "Point Fortin candidates confident in chances to win" and has been adjusted to include additional details. See original post below.

Point Fortin candidates for the general election who filed their nomination papers on April 4 all expressed confidence that they will win at the polls on April 28.

There was a mixture of new and returning faces at the Patrick Gordon Building along the Southern Main Road.

Those returning included outgoing MP Kennedy Richards Jr for the PNM and Ernesto Kesar for the UNC, who contested under the Movement for Social Justice (MSJ) in 2020.

Among the new faces to candidacy were Errol Fabien for the National Transformation Alliance (NTA) and Sheldon Khan for the All People’s Party (APP).

Newsday spoke to Richards ahead of filing his nomination and he said he anticipated a quick process.

He said the PNM has done a lot for the constituency and he will continue to do so.

"I'm not too concerned about the competitors. I am campaigning on performance. I came here and I performed for the last four-and-a-half years."

All other candidates said the filing process went smoothly and commended the Election and Boundaries Commission (EBC).

However, they all said not enough is being done in the area, commenting on unemployment, bad roads and lack of performing arts spaces.

"I don't think it's a big task to unseat the PNM," Fabien said. But he added that he did not like how the PNM treated Richards Jr as he was not given any ministerial portfolios.

He said, "People in Point Fortin have been insulted, neglected, taken advantage of...You're not seeing smiling people in Point Fortin any more and I can change that."

Kesar said the current government failed to deliver several promises, but that he was not going to engage in any tit-for-tat as "they know what they did not do."

And for Khan, he said he has been seeing a lot of road paving in the constituency since the election date was announced.

"Like all the time they didn't know the roads was (sic) (were) bad and does mash up your car."

There were scores of supporters in red, yellow and blue just outside the building, accompanied by loud music trucks and even moko jumbies. The groups of supporters interacted with each other but showed no animosity.