Vilma Kublalsingh, mother of environmentalist and hunger striker Wayne Kublalsingh, says government supporters have been spreading false rumours about her son and her family. She said so while sitting in solidarity with 30-year-old Kahlil Hassanali, a researcher who began a 24-hour fast in support of the Highway Re-route Movement yesterday. The protesters are camped outside the Office of the Prime Minister, St Clair.
The latest rumour, Vilma said, was that the Kublalsinghs owned property in Mon Desir. “People have been calling and asking us about this but that is not true. We do not own any land in Mon Desir,” Vilma said. She said government supporters had also been spreading incorrect information that the Government had paid her son’s medical bills after he was taken to the St Clair Medical Centre on Sunday. “That is not true. We have paid our own bills,” she added.
Vilma said Kublalsingh was resting but had said he would continue his hunger strike today. “We will have to see how he feels,” she said. Hassanali, whose brother, Satori, spent 24 hours without food and drink at the protest camp overnight on Monday began his own 24-hour stretch of the “relay fast” at 9 am yesterday. The brothers are related to deceased former President Noor Hassanali. He was their great-uncle.
Saying he supported transparency, truth and justice, Kahlil sat with members of the HRM, reading a book and responding to questions from the media. He said he had never met Kublalsingh but had observed his activism and had decided to join friends on Sunday to show support during a rally at Nelson Mandela Park (King George V Park) on Sunday.
The rally coincided with Kublalsingh’s being admitted to the medical centre after he collapsed on Maracas Beach on Day 26 of his hunger strike. Hassanali, from Santa Cruz, said he was in solidarity with Kublalsingh and had decided to be a part of a youth movement called Project 40 after observing the activist’s strikes. “I had often wondered why it seemed as though it was him alone in the struggle,” he said.
Project 40 is a group of young people, committed to showing support to the HRM by taking part in individual fasts over a 40-day period. Each member is expected to fast for 24 hours, sometimes outside the OPM. “The young people need to come out and be part of the struggle. It is clear that Government has been disingenuous and I understand Wayne’s frustrations,” said Hassanali.
“There is a need for studies to be done with regard to the highway. There were broken promises and we as a society need to increase our social, environmental and moral consciousness,” he added.
Works Minister to meet groups today
Works Minister Surujrattan Rambachan is expected to host a meeting today with civil-society groups who petitioned on Kublalsingh’s behalf, along with a technical team from his ministry and Nidco. This meeting will take place at 9 am at the ministry on Richmond Street, Port-of-Spain. Rambachan had originally invited the groups to tour the proposed highway site today but they refused, saying that would be repeating the work of the Armstrong Committee.
A release from the ministry said points of concern raised by the groups in their letter to the Prime Minister would be addressed These included requests for the Government to:
• Properly consider the report and recommendations of the Highway Review Committee (the Armstrong Committee).
• Give serious consideration to the new proposal by the HRM as an alternative route for the Debe to Mon Desir stretch.
• Stop all further work on that segment of the highway in the interim which would mean that work could proceed apace on the San Fernando to Point Fortin section.