PM Manning pays squatters surprise visit

Days after the homes of 50 squatters were demolished by National Housing Authority’s (NHA) crews at Union Hall in Duncan Village, Prime Minister Patrick Manning has promised that alternative accommodations will be made available to the squatters. In a surprise visit yesterday, Manning also promised that foodstuff and medical aid will also be provided to the affected families.

According to the squatters, the visit was “totally unexpected” and according to Marsha Ewing, who is nine-months pregnant and expecting her fifth child, the Prime Minister arrived sometime around noon. She said the meeting took place at the pavilion which had been the squatters’ home for the past four days after their homes had been demolished. Ewing said the PM had also promised that Defence Force personnel would be stationed at the settlement to prevent their valuables from being stolen and that no further demolition would take place at the squatter settlement. However, a skeptical Ewing said that the squatters were not taking Manning at his word.

In total agreement was Hazel Rampersad, who pointed out that Opposition Senator Sadiq Baksh had been the only person to bring food and medical aid to the squatters. She also questioned Manning’s willingness to provide homes for the affected families when he, as their Parliamentary representative, could not prevent their homes from being demolished. On Thursday, a NHA demolition crew moved in on the squatter community and demolished the homes, displacing 130 persons.