Beetham residents: Hinds disconnected from community

Painting a picture of an absent and uncaring MP, Beetham residents say they are happy Fitzgerald Hinds is not seeking re-election for the Laventille West constituency.

Newsday visited the area on November 29, less than 24 hours after the Prime Minister confirmed Hinds intended to step down from electoral politics.

Speaking at a post-cabinet media briefing on November 28, Rowley said, “I think it’s confirmed that he will not be continuing to offer himself as a candidate in his constituency.”

Rowley said he was saddened but not entirely surprised.

“I’m a little disappointed, but because he has been with us for a long time. He has been a very loyal, hard-working MP.

“There is sadness in parting, but I am sure Hinds will be around with the party, if not in the government.”

Beetham residents, however, contradicted Rowley’s characterisation of Hinds.

They said they were fed up with Hinds and described him as “a waste of time” and “just another politician."

“He does hardly come here and when he come is as whole set of talk. Just talk and no action. He ent doing nothing for we.”

Another resident said Hinds not standing for re-election is a good thing.

Asked to explain why, the man said, “It's a good thing because he doing s---. He don’t do nothing for nobody. We have all kind of sewer problems. The river in the community backing up and as soon as rain fall, the place flooding. He can’t even fix that. You mean to tell me you can’t even get a river cleaned?”

Two women who live near to the river pointed to a two-foot-wide sinkhole in the road as the older woman said, “That is how much he care about this community.”

The younger one added, “The community always flooding when it rains. They need to fix it but nobody don't want to do it because it's, ‘Just dem Beetham people,’ who are affected and we don’t matter. But if we protest, they say we behaving bad.

The older one said she has considered building something to prevent the water from coming into the house but said she has neither the energy nor resources to do it.

“Our house does flood every time it rain because we right next to the river and the drains does overflow. Imagine that stink water coming into your house and I must vote for him again. Why? So that I could get more stink water in my house?”

A woman, walking home with her son, said Hinds, like most politicians, is disconnected from his constituents.

“Hinds don’t do anything for we so it don't matter. I need help fixing my place, plus all this stink water people have to inhale. (Politicians) always promise help before elections but after it's just a runaround. It’s the same thing with all of them.”

A group of young people several streets away also complained of the flooding.
A 22-year-old woman in the group said Hinds knows the problems in the area and refuses to fix them.

“Good riddance! I don’t feel bad about them kicking water at him the last time he came here because that (river) is another problem he refusing to fix. If he had fixed that then we wouldn’t have been flooding in the first place.”

“Next time he come here to mamaguy we when it floods, I hope the same thing happen to him again!

A 23-year-old woman in the group added, “It’s the smell too. The river full of s---. It’s almost like they trying to kill we with that scent, but Beetham people undeadable. They can’t kill we!”

They also accused Hinds of failing to provide enough employment opportunities for young people in the area.

They said job-hunting, even along the nearby Eastern Main Road, is difficult as they are being stigmatised.

“We ready for Hinds to go. He is not a good man and he don't do anything for we. Look at how much youths on the block. He don't even pass through the community every few months and talk with them and see how he could help.

“If he did, he would know unemployment is a big issue. People don't want to hire you once they see Beetham on your resume. I don’t have a police record, never commit no crimes, nobody in my family is even a criminal, but I still can’t get a job. Why? Because I living here. When employers hear where I living they does watch me like I come from a crime family or something.”

A motorist who stopped to speak with someone in the group overheard the discussion and steupsed before adding, “Hinds never cared about Laventille West. We should have get rid of he long time. Police running in people house, the river flooding with stink water, the place smelling bad, and he ent fixing none of that.”

The conversation turned to Hinds’s possible replacement and the group unanimously voiced their preference for attorney and Beetham resident Kareem Marcelle.

Marcelle, 29, is an alderman in the Port of Spain City Corporation and has already received the support of the PNM’s Laventille West Women’s League.

Residents said Marcelle, who still lives in Beetham, has been actively trying to improve his community for years.

“He hosted a football competition in the community the other day with a $100,000 in prize money. That is the kind of initiative and activities we need.

“That bring people from other communities that people think we warring with, and not one of them leave here with a scratch. That is the kind of power he have. People look up to him and respect him because he does go all out for the community.”

They said although he is young, that should be a good thing.

“He living among us and he does see the problems so he knows what needs to be fixed. Plus he is a youth too so he will understand how the youths thinking.”

Two men sitting on a bench nearby said while they were unsure if he was politically experienced enough for the job, his work in the community spoke volumes.

“I can't talk for his experience but I can talk based what he does in the community. He is a good candidate.”

The other man added, “Nah man, he have experience. He from the ghetto, that's all the experience he needs. He is a bright fella. And politics don’t have an age bracket so it don't matter.”

Newsday contacted Marcelle but he declined to comment on Hinds’s performance or on the possibility of replacing him as MP.

His only comments so far were contained in a media release on November 2.

In the release, Marcelle said his decision to seek the nomination for the constituency was driven by a passion for serving his community, rather than challenging Hinds’s leadership.