Tunapuna constituents dissatisfied with representation

Residents of Tunapuna said they will not be satisfied with whichever candidate is selected by the PNM to go up for the constituency in the 2025 general elections. The candidates who have put in their nomination papers for the area are incumbent Esmond Forde, Michael Seales, Don Isaacs and Crystal Howard.

The seat has always been seen as a PNM stronghold, but residents interviewed by Newsday on November 11 said they were not satisfied with the service they received from their elected officials.

Entrepreneur Randall Ward said one issue he wanted tackled in the community was that of illegal taxi drivers. He said he thought many of the taxi drivers on Tunapuna Road did not have the proper documentation and the police should crack down on them.

Ward said his three children had done well in their examinations, with one getting 14 CXC subjects and the other two studying mechanical engineering, but the MP had not done anything for them.

“How can I support these fellas and them who robbing the youths and them future? I don’t want to talk to any of them. Better they put some youth in there who are interested in helping people. The fellas not interested in people, they interested in wealth.

“You know what he does do for the youth? He does bring balls. You ever see him moving with a portion of balls in his vehicle and when he reaches a community, he’ll throw out a couple and say, ‘Ah bring some balls boy’, that’s who they do for the youth, and put them in CEPEP. They took away all the future for the children the past PMs put in place.”

Another resident said he did not want to vote for any of the PNM candidates, as generally there was favouritism in who was given aid in the community.

“There’s too much corruption in the community. People get hampers to give out and only give it to people they know. We don’t want any old heads no more, better they put some young people. Even if the candidates are young, they will have a PNM agenda.

“Some of the old heads who tell their children to vote PNM or get out of their house will have to dead, sorry to say it like that but that has to happen for things to change. PNM give you this, PNM give you that, they use your money, taxpayer’s money to give you things. The PNM don’t have no money in its pocket. No government does anything for the people with their money, it’s our money.”

Another resident said people did not vote against the PNM, preferring to withhold their votes rather than vote for another party.

Another common refrain was that the candidates were only seen in the community during election campaigning season. One resident said the road was now several inches higher than the sidewalk because every time there was an election, the road was paved, which seemed to satisfy the residents enough to vote the PNM councillor back into office.

Many people were hesitant to speak about the issues they wanted to see addressed in the community. Others said they thought voting was a waste of time as nothing ever changed.

Businesswoman Diane Bhagwansingh said Forde was doing a good job in the community and would respond if called on. She said crime was the main issue which needed to be addressed in the community.

“We need more police. They will pass yes but not enough. Business people need some kind of comfort. It hasn’t happened to me but I have heard of people being extorted, where threats were made to them.”

Attempts to contact the candidates via phone call and WhatsApp message were unsuccessful.

The PNM has been losing votes over the last few elections. In the 2015 general election Esmond Forde won the seat with 11,228 votes compared to the UNC's Wayne Munro’s 7,613, a margin of victory of 3,615 votes.

However, in the 2020 general elections, Forde garnered 9,460 votes (1,689 votes less), a 46.72 per cent decrease in the margin of victory while the UNC's David Nakhid got 7,534 votes.

In the August 2023 local government election, the three electoral districts which comprise the Tunapuna constituency saw a sharp decline in the margins of victory. The Auzonville district was won by a mere 166 votes and Santa Margarita/Maracas saw the PNM retain the district by 60 votes, making what used to be PNM safe seats, marginals. In the Caura Paradise electoral district the UNC beat the PNM by amassing 2,388 votes compared to the PNM's 1,606 votes.

WITH REPORTING BY ANGELO MARCELLE