South hospital medic is UNC’s ‘bombshell’

THE United National Congress much-anticipated bombshell was announced yesterday to a crowd of thousands - Dr Anirudh Mahabir as candidate in the San Fernando City Corporation for the July 14 Local Government elections. The party presented its 114 candidates, many of them already announced, but yesterday on the compound of Screamer’s Pub, the “bombshell” was Mahabir who it is anticipated will be the UNC’s nominee for Mayor of the City if the party takes control of the corporation. Mahabir, a known UNC activist, is Head of the Department of Eye Service at the San Fernando General Hospital and a former president of the Trinidad and Tobago Medical Association. He was honoured last year with a Chaconia Medal on the occasion of this country’s  Independence for contribution to medicine and community service.

Mahabir, contesting the Tarou-ba/Cocoyea districts, will lead a slate of seven other candidates. There is only one UNC councillor on the City Corporation presently. Mahabir was presented by Dr Tim Gopeesingh, UNC’s elections officer, before a packed-to-capacity compound at Screamers’ opposite Gulf City, La Romaine. Though not a national figure in the politics, Mahabir’s presentation was greeted with thunderous applause from the crowd. He took over the podium from chairman Wade Mark and gave a short address before introducing the seven other candidates. Among them was former Minister in the Ministry of Housing and Settlements in the last UNC Government, former Senator Carol Cuffy Dowlat. An attorney at law, Dowlat contested against Prime Minister Patrick Manning in the last general elections in the San Fernando East constituency. She will contest the Les Efforts/La Romaine districts.