San Fernando West MP Carolyn Seepersad-Bachan believes her tough stance against corruption and nepotism could be a reason why some of her constituents find her unfavourable as a representative.
The latest poll conducted in San Fernando West by Louis Bertrand of H.H.B. and Associates showed that Seepersad-Bachan had a 60 per cent unfavourable rating.
The seat, which has over 26,000 voters from 55 polling divisions, is being contested by PNM Senator Faris Al-Rawi and national award winner Jowelle De Souza, who is also Seepersad-Bachan’s hair dresser.
De Souza is contesting on an independent ticket. The People’s Partnership has not nominated a candidate but the UNC has already started campaigning in the poverty-stricken regions of Embaccadere and Trainline, Marabella.
In an interview, Seepersad-Bachan said she did not agree with the poll findings, adding it was hard to believe that so many constituents did not support her.
She said it was surprising that Embaccadere and Marabella residents had accused her of being an absentee MP, adding it was under her watch that sporting facilities, fishing facilities, aquaponics and agricultural training programmes were held for poor constituents.
Seepersad-Bachan admitted, however, that some people may have found her unfavourable because she often rejected demands from supporters for Cepep contracts and contracts in the energy sector, which she headed until 2011.
“I am not giving you a contract just so you can vote for me. If people feel I will give contracts they are wrong.
“I come from the Congress of the People where we do things differently. We not here to just hand out contracts. We are here to assist you to develop on your own.
“That is the only way that T&T will progress. If we want to be a Singapore of the world, we have to do things differently,” Seepersad-Bachan said.
Saying she was skeptical about getting her constituents dependent on the State, Seepersad-Bachan said she always encouraged people to get involved in training programmes rather than depend on make-work schemes.
“The business community complain often that they cannot find skilled workers so I have always encouraged by constituents to get trained and educated,” she added.
Seepersad-Bachan also admitted that the programme did not work as well as it should because not everyone wanted sustainable employment.
“I am not sure that people are ready for that. A lot of people in the constituency still want to go back on URP and Cepep even though this country is short on skilled labour,” she said. She said anyone who wanted a contract must go through the process.
Pounding the pavement
Seepersad-Bachan also denied the accusation that she had lost touch with her constituents. She said over the past four-and-a-half years, she has been walking the ground, speaking to residents and encouraging them to seize educational opportunities.
“In the first nine months when I assumed office, we had one constituency day and people would be by the office until 1 am.
“Eventually we decided to close the office at 4 pm daily and my staff and I would get all the various forms like self- help, housing, food cards and go into the constituency to meet the people. I have walked the constituency more than once,” she added.
Most of the complaints she received had to do with local government.
Saying her relationship with the San Fernando City Corporation was sometimes tumultuous, Seepersad-Bachan added that she often had to write letters upon letters requesting that drains and rivers be cleaned.
“Eighty per cent of the complaints were local government issues but we managed to deal with many of them,” Seepersad-Bachan said.
The MP said under her watch the landslip at Tarouba Road was fixed permanently. Malfunctioning sewer lines which undermined properties close to the Vistabella River were also fixed permanently, she added.
Seepersad-Bachan said numerous box drains and pavements were built at Bel Air and Gulf View.
The poor regions also benefitted from paved roads, proper drains and educational programmes, Seepersad-Bachan revealed.
She said her office had the files of 2,000 people who requested assistance through her office. Many of the applicants needed housing but Seepersad-Bachan said she could not fulfil that need.
“I am not Minister of Housing. I have sent many requests to HDC and I am still waiting for responses. San Fernando has no housing and in most cases we have to look outside of the constituency to fulfill these requests,” she added.
She also said the middle classes have often criticised her for spending most of the resources of the constituency in the impoverished areas.
“Most of the food cards given out went to people in the poor areas. The Trainline has consumed most of the time and resources in my constituency,” she added. Seepersad-Bachan said street lights, beautification projects as well as clean-up exercises were organised for the Marabella Trainline residents.
Despite concerns that she will not get the votes of the Muslim population, Seepersad-Bachan said she continued to have a good relationship with all the different religious and ethnic groups in the constituency.
Waterfront—the biggest loser
Seepersad-Bachan’s grandiose ideas to develop a thriving waterfront in San Fernando has been described as one of her promises which never materialised.
However, she is accepting no responsibility for its failure, saying she did whatever she could to advance the idea.
“Many of my constituents were interested in getting the waterfront done. I did all that we could have done for that project.
“I kept my promise and within one year of assuming office, we met with all the various communities.
“We set up a team of San Fernandians and reviewed all prior plans for the waterfront. We had several consultations and it was forwarded to the Minister of Planning,” she revealed.
Asked whether she was satisfied with the little work that was done along Lady Hailes Avenue, in which $2 million was spent for a few sheds and solar light fixtures, Seepersad-Bachan said the SFCC was responsible for that.
“You will recall the controversy that took place on that project. The city said I had no right to interfere in that project.
“I represented the constituency by at least advancing the plans but I am of the view that we should have moved at a faster pace with that project when I forwarded the plan,” she added.
Seepersad-Bachan said she was pleased that a feasibility study was done and the People’s Partnership Government was committed to complete the waterfront project soon.
She said the city’s traffic congestion would be cleared up only when expansion was done westwards into the Gulf of Paria.