A bad dream: Rowley is PM, PNM in power

All URP workers were immediately removed from their jobs and replaced by PNM supporters. All CEPEP contractors were fired and new contracts given to PNM supporters. Thousands of CEPEP workers lost their jobs. Their children remained hungry and they lost the appliances they bought on hire purchase.

The Rowley government announced that it was discontinuing the laptop for students programme. Poor students were seen screaming and parents were crying because their children will not be able to have a laptop computer to develop as rich children had.

Mothers and fathers were seen selling cupcakes and toolum to raise money to send their children for life-saving surgery.

The UWI Debe campus was discontinued and closed. Many students were seen lamenting that they could not continue their studies due to the cost of renting near UWI.

The Sangre Grande campus of COSTAATT was closed, leaving 800 students to do zilch.

The Ministry of the People was disbanded. Poor people were seen begging for food since food cards were given to the friends and family of the PNM.

I saw a disabled person crawling on the pavement because he could not get a wheelchair from the Ministry of the People.

I saw people living in shacks because the PNM disbanded the starter house programme. I saw confusion and uproar because the land for the landless programme was also disbanded by the PNM.

I saw people crying because they could not get deeds of comfort so that they could borrow from the banks to repair and build their homes. The PNM stopped the deeds of comfort.

I saw big buildings going up in Port-of-Spain but I also saw schools falling apart for lack of repairs.

I saw the recreational facilities in villages stopped by the PNM who decided that rural development and country people were not important.

I saw less national scholarships being granted by the PNM. I saw the GATE programme revised and a means test being used. Many poor students were not able to go to UWI.

I saw less money being put into the self-help commission. No more repair grants were available, people were living under roofs that were leaking and wooden floors were creaking. The HDC announced that the PNM had stopped the housing grants programme.

I saw that houses were being given only to PNM supporters and Partnership supporters were being turned away and told “this is we time now.”

I saw the free school books programme also stopped. The PNM said that students have to pay for an education.

Oh my, what a bad dream.

ALLAN KARIM

via e-mail