Trinidad & Tobago
Mickela Panday forms Patriotic Front
Port-of-Spain – A new political party, the Patriotic Front, headed by Mickela Panday, daughter of former prime minister Basdeo Panday, was launched last week. The party has been registered with the Elections and Boundaries Commission.
The young Panday was confident she would win the upcoming general elections, saying a decision was not yet made if the party will contest all constituencies. However, she was adamant the next election would not be about the PNM and the UNC.
Panday said her party would not be an extension of the UNC, and she was not open to speaking with anyone, adding her party would “shake things up”, focus on youth, and combating crime.
She called for young people to get involved and help build the party, adding they must play a role in meaningful decision-making.
Said Panday: “We do not believe that our youths are the problem as some people advocate. In fact, the Patriotic Front believes our youths are the answer to the future development of our nation. For too long, we have alienated our youths by denying them a meaningful role in our decision-making process and our development.”
Additionally, “Instead of using our youths to stick up posters and engage in propaganda activities as some political parties do, we must engage our youths in meaningful participation in the political decision-making processes of the country.”
She said once elected the party would engage in a massive re-education programme, aided by State-owned media.
“If we are to develop our most valuable resource, our human resource, we have to reform the education system. The Patriotic Front believes that our education system is still colonial in its nature and geared towards producing personnel and workers for the metropolitan countries. Our system should produce a core of highly skilled inventor and innovators with relevance to our needs as a nation,” she said.
Also, “It is urgent, therefore, that we re-orient our education system and syllabuses in all our learning institutions to produce investors and innovators, and creative minds, instead of merely being copiers of others.”
In responding to the start-up, the UNC’s chief whip, David Lee, said it was too early to tell whether the PF would make a significant impact in the next general election until its key players and campaign policies are known.
Said Lee: “I don't even know what makes up her party. She just launched her party and I don't know who is the chairman of the party, the structure of the party. And until she comes out with more substance and form of her party, I really can't comment. It has been a year in the making and I assumed that when she announced on Saturday, she would have announced (her team) one time. I don't know who is behind her party.”
Member of Parliament for Couva North Ramona Ramdial said she did not believe the PF would make a mark, given its newness and support base.
“We have freedom of choice as a population, and her forming her political party is her right. But in getting into the politics of the day, a third party forming for the 2020 general election, it may not pick up traction for a third party to have any impact with the electorate. So probably in 2025 she may be able to have an impact. But I think this general election will be a battle between the PNM and UNC,” she said.
Ramdial added there are a number of other political parties forming and citizens will wait and see what they are offering the population.
Couva South MP Rudranath Indarsingh said his focus would be on the PNM, and not the PF.
Indarsingh said he has never been a political grasshopper and wavered in his loyalty for the UNC. He said his focus is not on Panday, rather on the PNM, where the country and its citizens are suffering. It was Panday’s democratic right to form the new party, but he is keeping his focus on the PNM.
At this time, the government receives taxes from companies in the LNG business with the National Gas Company having a ten percent shareholding in Atlantic's Train 1, and a 11.11 percent shareholding in Train 4.
According to a statement issued by the government last week, “This new agreement is a significant milestone for the people of Trinidad and Tobago as it features an enhanced revenue package for the sale of LNG. The energy deal is the result of months of positive and relationship-building discussions between Shell and the government.”
The agreement was signed by Energy Minister Franklin Khan on behalf of the Government, while Derek Hudson, vice president and country chair of Shell Trinidad and Tobago, signed on behalf of Shell.
Prime Minister Keith Rowley was present at the signing, while National Security Minister and Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister Stuart Young signed as a witness.
“The agreement reflects the mutual importance of the relationship and the value Shell has placed on Trinidad and Tobago as a province. The parties have committed to continue their discussions surrounding the development of the energy sector in Trinidad and Tobago,” the government statement added.
In its statement, Shell said the Heads of Agreement signing was for “an enhanced revenue package for the sale of LNG”.
Additionally, “This represents a significant achievement for Trinidad and Tobago and for Shell as it paves the way for Shell to further progress the development of the energy sector in partnership with its key stakeholders including the government of Trinidad and Tobago.”
In recent weeks, Finance Minister Colm Imbert has been trying to quell uncertainty surrounding the potential mothballing of Atlantic’s Train 1 in 2020. It follows energy giant BPTT not signing a new gas agreement for the train.
Imbert’s headache began after the announcement a few weeks ago that an infill drilling programme had failed to secure enough gas (about 200-300 million standard cubic feet per day) to satisfy its obligations to Train 1.
In November 2018, the government successfully negotiated an extension of Atlantic's Train 1 for the next five years, including a new pricing formula that will “enhance the revenue of Trinidad and Tobago”.
The initial 20 year-contract for Train 1 would have ended in April.
The government’s negotiating team, which includes Khan, Young, and president of the NGC Mark Loquan, had reached gas agreements with Train 1’s main shareholders, Shell and bpTT, and secured for the NGC the ability to sell liquefied natural gas cargoes on behalf of the people of TT.
BPTT owns 34 percent of the company that operates Train 1, while Shell is the largest shareholder of Train 1 with a 46 percent stake in the facility.
The success of the government's negotiations saw the NGC sign an MOU with Beijing Rheingau Investment Corporation, an affiliate of fellow Train 1 shareholder, China’s sovereign wealth fund, China Investment Corporation.
Abdul- Mohan said the Church is already engaged in assisting migrants, and there are plans being put in place to further help the Venezuelans. The issues affecting Venezuela make a humanitarian crisis, and the Church will not remain silent on matters affecting migrants and refugees, she indicated.
Said Abdul-Mohan: “The Presbyterian Church cannot remain silent on the issues affecting our people but also those who come here by force. We cannot remain silent on the issues affecting the migrants and the refugees. And so the Church must go beyond the pew and the pulpit to heighten its awareness of the tragedies unfolding before our very eyes.”
Additionally, “'The magnitude of the socio-economic and political crisis in Venezuela has thrust this country into uncharted territory, which has become the worse humanitarian crisis in the Western Hemisphere.”
Abdul-Mohan said the Venezuelans were being forced to leave their country and were risking their lives in doing so. Also, the issue of human trafficking was serious and worrisome, and may involve police officers.
“For me to stand here as a minister of the gospel, as moderator and as vice-president of a children's foundation, I must be aware and I must be conscious of the violence against innocent children. In recent news reports we read of the alleged involvement and criminality of some police officers in trafficking refugees and the practice of modern-day slavery. And the Church cannot stand by and accept that kind of behaviour. It is worrisome that those who have been called to protect and serve have been irresponsible in their stewardship and have seemingly lost credibility,” she said.
Abdul-Mohan said the Presbyterian Church in its outreach has taken a position to help and assist the migrants through giving basic needs as a short-term measure.
She said the long-term goals are to work with the various Presbyterian churches in providing accommodation to the Venezuelans in various areas along the south coast where they would arrive.
Another measure she said was having language and educational programmes to be conducted by members of the Church and volunteers to help educate Venezuelan children who would not be initially integrated into the school system.
Delivering her maiden speech in north Trinidad, Walker recalled being forced to flee her home in Big Yard, Carenage, because of Rowley’s failure to value the people of the area, and that his Diego Martin West constituents did not deserve someone who has been neglecting them.
“What we don’t deserve is an MP who has become so confident in his seat that he can call me a pest, then feel he could wave some measly handout in front my face and still expect to control me like a puppet,” Walker said.
“While his garbage gets collected every day right in front his house, we have to be calling the councillor and writing all over social media just to have ours collected. Is our health not as important as his? Does he value us so little that not even our garbage is a concern to him?” she asked.
Said Walker: “Well no more of that nonsense! It is time for you to be served your eviction notice Rowley. Your rent is overdue and the people of Diego Martin want back their seat,” said Walker.
She said the people deserved leadership that will recognise their potential and do more than just feed them some “rotten fish”.
“We deserve a leader that cares about us enough to teach us and equip us to fish for ourselves,” Walker declared.
Walker said after years of abuse, her mother finally left her father, and like so many other women, chose to leave with nothing but her children and her peace of mind.
“I remember the first time I tried to order KFC from our new home. Talk about the shock I felt when they told me they don’t deliver up Big Yard, but if I want they could meet me on the main road. That was my first taste of the stereotyping,” she said.
Walker said she was already attending a “so-called prestigious school” when she moved into Big Yard, but she quickly came to learn that even there all would not be equal.
“The boys next door were all too happy to look, but no matter how many sporting awards or brains I brought to the table, the majority of them dare not carry a girl to their parents with Big Yard Road as an address,” she said.
Rowley’s foreign trip fruitless
Rowley and a government delegation traveled abroad last week, visiting BP’s headquarters in London, England, followed by the Netherlands where they met with a high-level team from Shell, and then EOG Resources and Shell in Houston, Texas.
Said Persad-Bissessar: “Keith Rowley and Stuart Young must stop humiliating themselves in the faces of our energy partners or else the country will pay a hefty price for their incompetence. We caution the Prime Minister that his incompetent meddling in energy affairs will put these gas finds at risk to the detriment of us all.”
Rowley was accompanied by Energy Minister Franklin Khan, National Security Minister Stuart Young, and Alyson West, Minister in the Ministry of Finance.
Persad-Bissessar said the talks and meetings abroad were fruitless.
“Given the arrogant and irresponsible treatment by the Rowley-led administration toward these energy companies in the past four years, Prime Minister Rowley would have little if any negotiating power. Out-manoeuvred, out-negotiated and humiliated, the Prime Minister is likely to agree to deals which may not be in the best interest of our country in order for him to save face,” Persad-Bissessar asserted. She predicted a public relations stunt was bound to follow the meetings abroad.
Said Persad-Bissessar: “It is clear that the Prime Minister, already burdened with the pressure of hiding that he has crashed the energy sector, would look to pull a public relations gimmick as he did with the Dragon Gas deal and Houston energy agreements. The citizens, however, remember that the Dragon deal is yet to materialise, and the Houston agreement has resulted in a less than favourable outcome for NGC's profitability.”
She criticised Rowley and the government, saying “statesmanship is not within their purview”.
Persad-Bissessar said it was clear that under Rowley, Trinidad and Tobago has lost its status and respect on the world stage, noting that her former People's Partnership administration attracted significant levels of foreign direct investment, strengthened foreign partnerships, and gained the respect of foreign leaders through vision and leadership.
She said the Rowley government was incapable of even keeping investments the country holds. Also, that meetings last week with global energy companies were nothing more than attempts for Rowley “to save face after being humiliated and out-manoeuvred by them in negotiations”.
“He foolishly attempted to negotiate agreements without the advice of our trained technocrats, and now our energy security is at risk due to his incompetence,” Persad-Bissessar stated.
She added the meetings were not geared towards expanding our relationship and operations with these companies, but were geared towards reclaiming lost ground and trying to regain favour with these firms. Rowley had to make this move as a result of his government’s incompetence, she noted.
Persad-Bissessar stated Rowley's failures on the diplomatic front contrasted with successes by his predecessors.
Responding to Persad-Bissessar, Rowley described the UNC as “underminers”.
Said Rowley: “So a delegation from Trinidad and Tobago goes abroad on important business, and the UNC underminers are so mortified that it will produce something good for the country that they come up with this diatribe of anger and personal hatred and publish it as an energy policy alternative. The one thing we are all sure of is that anything done by Keith Rowley and his team abroad or at home will pass the test of sober reflection.”
Rowley recalled his administration brought the country and energy industry the nationwide exposure titled ‘Spotlight on Energy’.
He said this approach brought the country the successful negotiations of a gas price, along with the establishment of an empowered team to advance negotiations with major energy companies towards a better deal for Trinidad and Tobago. It also led to a successful conclusion and significant progress towards improving the benefits for Trinidad and Tobago, and reaffirmed Trinidad and Tobago as an attractive environment for energy investment as opposed to curtailment.
Rowley also noted that Trinidad and Tobago has a Prime Minister who leads from in front and is its number one salesman, who was respected by the decision makers in the energy companies’ boardroom, and who is always prepared to put the interest of the people of Trinidad and Tobago first.
Hosein was speaking in the Senate last week Tuesday on a private motion calling for more Parliamentary oversight over the Elections and Boundaries Commission. He recalled meeting with EBC officials, and was informed there was close to 100 political parties registered in Trinidad and Tobago.
“And as the days go by we saw more and more political parties coming up. And they are trying to come up to say they are fed up with this government. It is an indictment on the government because clearly there is lack of representation of the people of Trinidad and Tobago by the PNM,” he said.
Additionally: “And we wouldn’t be surprised that certain political parties – and I am not pointing any fingers – that they may be the ones who may be encouraging these other smaller parties to come and to split the votes in any particular election. I am not casting any aspersions on any political party whatsoever.”
Last week Mickela Panday launched a new political party The Patriotic Front.
