Still PNM country

How, then, are citizens faring, particularly in constituencies where the PNM either gained or retained control following the September 7, 2015, general election? Sunday Newsday completes its series in Lopinot/Bon Air West, a constituency which the party reclaimed last year..

“Lopinot/Bon Air West is PNM (People’s National Movement) town,” Gemma (not her real name) declared on Thursday at Jelly Bean Recreation Club, off Five Rivers Junction.

“We have we problems like anywhere else in the country but people in this area always vote for PNM.” It’s one of five constituencies created in 2007 as a result of the expansion of seats in the House of Representatives from 36 to 41, but the area, comprising 16 polling divisions from the northern part of the previous Arouca North seat and four taken from the eastern tip of Tunapuna, has long been a PNM stronghold.

The constituency was again a bastion of support for the party ahead of and after the September 7, 2015, general election, giving it 11,487 votes in comparison to the Congress of the People’s (COPs) 6,326 votes.

The COP, a member of the former People’s Partnership Government, had grabbed the seat from the PNM in the May 2010 general election, presumably because of the electorate’s rebuke of controversial developments late in the tenure of the previous Patrick Manning-led PNM administration.

Gemma 48, a self-employed single mother of three, told Sunday Newsday that while she has never voted for a party other than the PNM, she understood why some of the people in Lopinot/Bon Air West may have wanted to switch allegiances five years ago.

“People wanted a change but according to (Basdeo) Panday, what we got was an exchange (with the former Partnership Government).” She claimed that although there has been some progress in the constituency over the years, the PP did nothing of significance to enhance the area.

“Plenty people know now that they should have never changed and we just have to give the PNM a chance to make their move,” Gemma said.

Another female constituent, at Sixth Street, Five Rivers, had a hands-off approach to the political scene in the district but still felt the PNM deserved a chance.

“If they say it have no money, well what they want the Government to do,” she blurted. “I know they can’t keep saying that all the time. The people will get fed up of that just now.” The woman said she had never relied on hand-outs from governments and was not about to start now.

“Regardless of who in power, I never get nothing. I still had to work when the day reach,” she said.

A mostly residential region with several squatting communities, Lopinot/Bon Air West is sandwiched between the Tunapuna and the Arouca/Maloney constituencies along the East/West corridor.

The constituency includes Five Rivers, La Florissante, Windy Hill, and parts of Tacarigua among other areas.

Unlike other districts, however, the region is devoid of major industry - a situation which has caused many residents to seek work outside of the area.

“If someone is not self-employed, chances are they would have to look for work out of the area because there are no industrial estates as a major employer,” one gainfully- employed young man said.

The constituency, too, is upheld by several agricultural estates, particularly in the Surrey Village and Lopinot communities.

The latter houses the Lopinot Complex, a go-to destination for history buffs, nature lovers and adventure- seekers.

Apart from the Cleaver Woods Heritage Site and Victory Heights, a preferred choice for campers, Lopinot/Bon Air West also has an Emancipation Park and a host of sporting and cultural organisations.

Residents of Windy Hill, a troubled squatting community, said despite the constituency’s offerings, many people in their area still yearned for a better quality of life.

Some said former MP Dr Lincoln Douglas had worked hard to ensure that they got deeds of entitlement, but others complained about the high unemployment, especially among the area’s youth.

“You know there is a saying that the Devil finds work for idle hands.

That is what is taking place up here.

But we have decent young people who really want something for themselves. All they want is to be given a chance,” the woman told Sunday Newsday.

Elsewhere, some constituents praised Douglas for his work in improving several projects in the constituency, including the Victory Road Basketball Court, which received a new lighting system and upgraded infrastructure several years ago.

Tova Lin Bartholomew, councillor for Five Rivers/Lopinot in the Tunapuna/Piarco Regional Corporation, described the constituency as “thriving,” but observed that there was still much work to be done.

She said while the constituency was faring well in comparison to other areas, it remained challenged by issues such as poor or inadequate drainage, defective sewer systems and land tenure.

Speaking specifically about her electoral district, Bartholomew said land tenure was a crucial issue in Five Rivers.

She said although the Land Settlement Agency had distributed letters of comfort to some residents, many were experiencing difficulties in accessing loans at commercial institutions while others were concerned about leaving a legacy for their children.

Although there have been several murders in the area, Bartholomew said crime was not a major issue in her electoral district.

She said the Arouca police was doing an excellent job in keeping the criminal element at bay through community meetings and frequent street patrols.

“So, we have felt a stronger presence,” she added.

In the short to medium term, Bartholomew is hoping for an improvement in the traffic management situation. Looking ahead, she also wants residents to take greater ownership of the constituency.

Lopinot/Bon Air West MP Cherrie- Ann Crichlow-Cockburn said the past 11 months in office has been a learning experience.

“There have been challenges some of which have been overcome,” she told Sunday Newsday.

Daughter of Nathaniel Crichlow, the late PNM stalwart and trade unionist, Crichlow-Cockburn revealed that she has been able to uphold several of her pre-election promises, including a commitment to residents of Windy Hill to provide an efficient water supply to the area.

“I have made quite a lot of headway with that through conversations with WASA and I am hopeful that by the end of the year things could happen. It may be an ambitious task but I am hopeful,” she said.

“We have reached the point of identifying what needs to be done, getting the approvals and having them implemented.” Saying that the PNM had come into power at a time of slow economic activity and immense debt, Crichlow-Cockburn said she was still able to complete several small infrastructural and maintainence projects in the constituency.

This, she had accomplished with assistance from the Ministry of Works, Tunapuna/Piarco Regional Corporation and the Unemployment Relief Programme.

Crichlow-Cockburn, who is also the Minister of Social Development and Family Services, said she also has done her best to promote community spirit through a range of activities.

Today, she will be distributing school supplies and uniforms to deserving students in the constituency.

Ongoing support from the non-governmental organisation, Foundation for the Enhancement and Enrichment of Life (FEEL), also has continued to serve the constituency in good stead, she said.

Crichlow-Cockburn, who has an active Facebook page, detailing her work in the region, said she also tries to meet regularly with constituents outside of her designated office day on Thursdays.

“It is important to go out there and meet the people because sometimes they cannot come to you,” she said.

Crichlow-Cockburn envisions a vibrant and safe constituency - one in which people are able to access to equal opportunity to achieve their goals and dreams.