Bring it on! That was the response of some constituents of Port-of-Spain South, two days after Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar waved a thick file labelled “Marlenegate” and threatened to expose People’s National Movement (PNM) MP for the area Marlene McDonald. Last Monday, while addressing supporters at a United National Congress (UNC) political meeting in Debe, the PM said she would expose the Opposition for their hypocrisy, double standards, and incapability to govern the country.
The PM threatened to expose a file on McDonald months after the Integrity Commission, in a December 23, 2013, letter, cleared the MP of breaching the Integrity in Public Life Act. The letter, which was published in a Sunday Guardian article last December, did not specify what issue was brought before the commission. But one action group, TnTWhistleblower, took offence and raised questions about a $375,000 cheque made out to the Calabar Foundation on May 12, 2010, some ten days before the local government elections.
The cheque was made payable to the Calabar Foundation which was established some months later in August 24, 2010, and, according to the documents, was cashed in September that same year. Though constituents of the PNM stronghold shared mixed views about McDonald’s performance over the last five years, they believe as the general election draws closer the UNC is on a witch-hunt to sully their MP’s name and character.
At Sea Lots, constituents Shane Jackson, Lenore Adams aka Althea, and Jennifer Ramcharitar had nothing but praises for McDonald, who they claimed helped improve their depressed community. The trio said McDonald was instrumental in getting the newly-built Sea Lots Community Impact and Homework Centre opened last year. They also received box drains and pavements, and 20 residents were the recipients of indoor bathrooms and toilets. The residents had previously used latrines and crudely built galvanise shacks as their bathrooms outside their homes.
“Little by little we are seeing things done,” Jackson said. He also boasted that crime had dropped significantly in the district. “We don’t have a problem with Marlene. I will vote for her again,” Ramcharitar interjected, outside her Pioneer Drive home. “I think the Marlenegate file Kamla promised is just a red herring. They are trying to bring down our MP, but they will not succeed. Bring it on!” Althea said.
Plying his DVD trade near the lighthouse, Elijah Mitchell said McDonald really had done a lot for the people of Sea Lots, but felt “she could have lobbied a bit more for the community to get a children’s play park and to help the unemployed youth get jobs.” “I think this Marlenegate file is a ploy...a distraction by the UNC. If a file is produced, like everything else, I feel nothing will come out of it,” Mitchell said.
Tricks
Resident John Wellington described the Marlenegate file as “tricks by the Government.” He said every five years politicians from the Opposition and the Government made allegations against each other, but nothing came of them.