Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar yesterday revealed she had no idea from where thousands of gifts donated to children through her toy distribution drive came. Persad-Bissessar has spent much of the last few weeks going to different constituencies to give toys to children. She also hosted several toy and hamper distribution functions at the Diplomatic Centre, St Ann’s. The toy drive will continue today and tomorrow as she heads to constituencies in south Trinidad.
Persad-Bissessar spoke to the media yesterday after a distribution of cheques to churches. The toy drive has received criticism from Opposition MPs as well as political activists after Persad-Bissessar revealed that toys were purchased by corporate sponsors.
In an interview after the distribution Persad-Bissessar said she did not know who the corporate sponsors were.
“I do not know who they are. There is a committee. That is their job. It is given to me to give away,” Persad-Bissessar said. She said she was not involved directly or indirectly with the sourcing of the gifts and toys for the children. Persad-Bissessar said all questions about the toy drive should be directed to the chairman of the committee Peter Kanhai.
“This is the fifth year we have done this. I tell you I have not given contracts to anyone. I have not attempted to receive anything from anyone. “These (gifts) were sourced by the committee. I have not been directly involved in any of it but I am directly involved as the patron. I am the conduit. they source it and give it to us. We organise the venues and give it to the children,” Persad-Bissessar said.
Asked whether the committee had gone to specific organisations and requested gifts, Persad-Bissessar again referred questions to Kanhai.
Kanhai responds
Kanhai, in a telephone interview last night, said as far as he was aware, no Government contractors had been sourced to sponsor the toy drive. “We look for sponsors who have an interest in children,” Kanhai said. Kanhai said the drive, which began in 2010 following the People’s Partnership being elected in Government, had grown significantly over the years. “The first year we had the drive, in 2010, we (the committee) approached sponsors but for the following years a lot of them came to us.”
Kanhai, who is vice president of the Tunapuna Chamber of Industry and Commerce, said during the first year he had sourced sponsorship from some of his colleagues. Kanhai said sponsors such as Kiss Baking, Holiday Foods, Universal Foods, Bermudez and Coca Cola often provided items free of charge or gave significant discounts of up to 60 per cent.
Asked whether there was a criteria which sponsors had to meet, Kanhai said sponsors had to be legitimate businesses and must want to be a part of the initiative.