Bring back Vasant Bharath to fight St Augustine!
That was the cry from St Augustine constituents who on Wednesday appealed to Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar to select Bharath as their candidate for the upcoming general election.
Many constituents felt Bharath would better represent them than their incumbent MP, Prakash Ramadhar, who they claimed has done little to improve the district and the lives of constituents since being elected in 2010.
Ramadhar, who contested the United National Congress (UNC) stronghold on a Congress of the People (COP) ticket, said last week that he was seeking re-election for St Augustine.
His announcement sparked objections from constituents who believe the PM should pick Bharath over Ramadhar. Bharath won the St Augustine safe seat for the UNC in 2007.
They complained that in the last five years, there was little improvement in the constituency.
Flooding continues to be a major issue, dirt roads have not been paved, squatters are still without leases for the lands they have occupied for over 30 years, and residents claim they seldom see their MP in or out of office.
At the end of College Road, situated across the Churchill-Roosevelt Highway, dasheen bush farmer Kumar Bharath, 50, complained that since Ramadhar became MP he had never seen him “in the back here.”
Bharath said farmers had to contend with poor drainage and flooding in the community.
“The water does back up as far as Caroni and flood we out. We going through this for years. But who cares? It not affecting them, so why bother with the small man,” he said.
Bharath said he was unsure of voting for the PP again because he was not happy with the level of representation he had received.
A stone’s throw away, Jagdeo Heeralal, a dasheen bush farmer, had nothing good to say about Ramadhar.
“That man (Ramadhar) never pass one day to ask people what they want done.
“I think that is disrespect to the people who supported him. I not asking you to be up in we face all the time, but at least come and see the problems we have to endure and let us find a solution. That is what representation is all about.”
Heeralal said Ramadhar could not walk in Bharath’s boots.
“When Bharath was MP, he served his constituents. He might not have been able to help everyone, but he made his presence felt.
“If I voting for the People’s Partnership it would not be for Ramadhar but for the Prime Minister.
“I feel Vasant would be a better selection. Prakash, to me, is a waste of time,” Heeralal said.
‘St Augustine ill-treated because
it’s a UNC safe seat’
While the Land Settlement Agency (LSA) has distributed certificates of comfort to some squatters, they are unsure when they will be given their leases.
Living in the squatting community at Dookiesingh Street, Drupatee Maharaj-Fraser slammed Ramadhar for being an absentee MP.
“You can’t see him in his constituency office nor in St Augustine. The man not doing his work. Right now, anybody better than Prakash. The Prime Minister should get rid of her old ministers and bring in fresh faces when she selects her new slate. People fed up with them. They not treating people right.”
Maharaj-Fraser said because St Augustine was a UNC safe seat, the community had been ill-treated and neglected.
Maharaj-Fraser pointed to a ravine at the side of her home which was covered in grass and littered with garbage.
“The ravine encouraging vermins and mosquitoes. It has not been cleaned in months.”
In the rainy season, Maharaj-Fraser said, the ravine overflowed and flooded their homes.
She said she had gone several times to Ramadhar’s constituency office to complain about the condition of the ravine, but was never fortunate to meet her MP.
“He is never there.”
Not too far away, Dhanrajie Mahase said constituents were poorly represented.
Last year, Mahase, 58, said she received a letter from the LSA to obtain a Home Improvement Grant.
“As an applicant under the squatters regularisation programme, I took the letter four times in Port-of-Spain to get the grant but was unsuccessful.”
In an attempt to get advice, Mahase said, she visited Ramadhar’s office but never saw him.
Mahase said she found out that her MP was scheduled to attend a function at a school in the community a few months ago and went armed with the letter to raise her concerns.
“Before I could whip out the letter to show him, Ramadhar say he don’t want to see it. I was stopped in my tracks. I felt hurt and disappointed. Some people might take this as nothing, but it bothered me. If the Prime Minister putting Ramadhar to run for this constituency again, I don’t think he would get my vote. I prefer if she put Vasant because he never treated people so when he was our MP.”
‘Every five years is the same thing’
At Pasea Road Extension, Shamila Ramayah and her husband, Mohan, said for six years they had been trying to get an electricity connection.
Though the couple supplied T&TEC with the necessary documentation and surveys were done by a crew, they said, the connection was denied.
The Singhs’ four children are forced to study by candlelight.
“You know how many letters I dropped off at Ramadhar’s constituency office? Ramadhar is of no help to us. My daughter can’t even use the laptop she get from the Ministry of Education to help her with her homework.”
She said the dirt track in front of her home took three years to pave by a contractor, when it should have taken three months.
“The COP no better than the PNM. Every five years is the same thing. I fed up with them politicians now,” she said, venting her feelings.
“I waiting for Ramadhar to come to ask me to vote for the COP. It go be me and he,” Shamila said.
Mohan said he thought Bharath would be an ideal candidate to contest St Augustine.
“Bharath is the man. He was our MP before, and I think the Prime Minister should put him to fight the seat again. If they put Prakash they are likely to lose votes because of the disenchantment from the people,” Mohan said.
Parbatie Persad, of Pooransingh Drive, admitted that Bharath had been a lot more visible than Ramadhar. While Persad said she would support Ramadhar, she thought Bharath would be a far better candidate.
At Streatham Road Extension, Resha Ramoutar-Samlal said her street was prone to flooding and nothing was being done to address the problem.
“If I tell you Prakash does come in the back here I would be lying. Is years I have not seen him,” Ramoutar-Samlal said.
Lystra Dandrade, a neighbour of Ramoutar-Samlal, said after ten minutes of rain her home would be under water.
“The drains need dredging and widening. When the rainy season approaches I does be uneasy. This is a yearly occurrence and nobody taking we on,” Dandrade said.
Sitting on a chair at the side of the pavement on Streatham Road, pensioner Seunarine Mohip started to spew venom just hearing Ramadhar’s name.
“I don’t want to hear about him. I don’t like he at all. He is the worse MP we ever had. I not voting for him.”
Mohip said the best MP St Augustine ever had was John Humphrey.
“He had a soft heart for the people. Nothing was too much for him to do. You don’t get politicians like them any more,” Mohip said.
‘They are making him
out to be a non-performer’
Farmer David Lee, meanwhile, said some constituents were making Ramadhar out to be a non-performer.
“I does see the man around in St Augustine. Is just when he passing people don’t be around,” Lee interjected.
At Spring Village, off Bassie Street, pensioner Vin Mahango said he would support Ramadhar “although he believe he win the seat already the way he behaving.”
Mahango said Ramadhar had done a lot of work in the community as box drains had been built and roads paved in the last 60 months.
Ramadhar responds
Yesterday, Ramadhar said Bharath is no longer an issue when it comes to who is contesting St Augustine. “I am MP and I would continue to run as the MP. I appreciate many have not seen me as much as I would have liked to see them, because there are many occasions I do go in these areas and they are not around.”
Ramadhar said he runs an efficient constituency office and feels he has represented his constituency to the best of his ability. He said much has been accomplished in the constituency in the last five years such as providing drainage, lighting for recreational grounds, flood mitigation, land regularisation and road paving.
“Flash flooding has been mitigated. We have worked extremely hard with difficult circumstances. Some of the works is not physically seen, but we have performed.” Ramadhar said his responsibilities are enormous since he serves as MP, COP leader and manages two ministries—Justice and Legal Affairs.
“If I had not done what I had done in the Congress of the People, the Government may have faced difficulties that it may not have been able to endure.”