Election banners and mock stations in Central

BOTH THE People’s National Movement (PNM) and the United National Congress (UNC) yesterday hurled accusations against each other with respect to the conduct of the Local Government Elections for the Chaguanas Borough Corporation. The PNM through Senator Satish Ramroop who is the co-ordinator for the campaign to make a breakthrough in the Chaguanas Borough said that the UNC was guilty of placing posters within 100 yards of polling stations at Edinburgh and Longdenville, and that was reported to the Police. The matter was eventually straightened out. Ramroop said that at Lange Park both Manohar Ramsaran (MP for Chaguanas) and Gopaul Boodhan, former Deputy Mayor of the Borough, were complaining that there were also PNM posters hanging around within 100 yards of polling stations, but  Ramroop denied such an accusation saying “that we have been fighting a clean campaign, and we will surprise the UNC in this part of Trinidad. We sent out a crew to scrutinise the area and to make sure that all  PNM posters within 100  yards of any polling station were removed forthwith,” he added. Ramroop said, “We want free and fair elections without any problems whatsoever.”

He explained that there was a mock station at Felicity controlled by the UNC, and this was reported to the Police who eventually measured the distance of the mock station to the Polling Station, and had it removed. Ramroop said that at every election, mock stations were set up outside polling stations. They were allowed to operate so long as they conformed to the regulations of being outside the 100 yards distance. Ramroop assured that “all our mock stations have been set up outside the 100 yards distance to be of assistance to voters who may not be totally knowledgeable about the voting procedure, and that is quite a normal practice.” He did explain, however,  that the UNC mock stations were set up also to misdirect PNM supporters as to where they were to cast their votes. He viewed it as an attempt to frustrate and delay voting patterns for the day. “It is a calculated measure on the part of the UNC to deter PNM voters from casting their votes,” he said. ‘In our case we help the voters, and whoever they vote for is their business. All that we attempt to do is to provide a service,” Ramroop said.

He said that the voting pattern for the morning session had been at a quick pace “and we hope to win about five Seats in the Borough. If we capture so many then that is the end of the UNC in Central Trinidad. “In any case,” he said, “if we win three or four seats this would be considered a major breakthrough in Chaguanas where we have concentrated a great deal during the campaign.  If the people listen carefully to what we have been saying as a party, then we are certain to destroy the stranglehold the UNC has on the people in central Trinidad.” Ramroop said the PNM was already holding the Enterprise South through Ronald Heera, but the “UNC-controlled corporation had not been performing satisfactorily. He said it is time that they be removed from office and pass on the mantle of responsibility to the PNM, who could deliver what we promise.” “The support we have been getting in Chaguanas is tremendous, and if at the end of the day we gain control of the Chaguanas Borough it would be a clear message to the UNC that they are no longer seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.” He denied that the PNM had any part in vandalising the home and the car of the former Deputy Mayor of Chaguanas Gopaul Boodhan. He said “we even went there to express our sympathy and to explain that we are no part in acts of thuggery.”

Manohar Ramsaran, who is the UNC co-ordinator of the Local Government Elections for the Chaguanas Borough, said that Rana Persad the UNC candidate for the Longdenville area, found PNM banners within 100 yards at the polling station at the Longdenville Govern-ment school. The matter was reported to Central Divisional  Police, and the matter had since been rectified. “There were many other reports of intimidation and PNM mock stations being too close to Polling Stations. He said “we were very pro-active in solving the problems with the assistance of the police,” Ramsaran said. Ramsaran further explained that in the Longdenville area a known supporter of the UNC was offered $200 to vote for the PNM “and this was very disturbing.” He said the matter was reported to the Chaguanas police. He felt that the media should also highlight the problem “and if I am to make a prediction we will win all eight Seats in the Chaguanas Borough, including the Enterprise South Electoral District which is being held by the PNM at the present time. The UNC he said has a strong candidate there, in addition to the party running “a splendid campaign”  to woo voters. If by chance the PNM win the Chaguanas Borough, I will be the first one to congratulate them,” Ramsaran said. Mayor of Chaguanas Orlando Nagessar said that it came to his notice that CEPEP workers were intimidating UNC supporters in certain key areas in the Borough, and “we have reported it to the Chaguanas police. But no matter what they do, the Chaguanas Borough belongs to the UNC, and we will keep it that way until eternity,” Nagessar said, “despite what the PNM through Satish Ramroop had attempted to achieve during the Election Campaign.”