Govt pushing ‘PNM apartheid’

Even as Government backpedalled, issuing errata sheets deleting the controversial word “Afro-Trinidadians” from its “Social and Economic Policy Framework,” the controversy still raged in the Senate yesterday over whether it really intended to target African males in recruiting students for COSTAAT. Pointing to statements made by Planning Minister Dr Keith Rowley that Government didn’t need to make any apology for what was written in the document, Opposition Senator Wade Mark wanted to know whether the errata sheets represented Government’s policy or was it a game. Did Dr Rowley temporarily lose his intellectual capacity, when he made his “astonishing” statements in Parliament on Monday? Mark wanted to know. The Minority Leader pointed out that while it was “laudable” that Government had issued the errata sheet, he was still confused. He recalled that when he first raised the matter — that the document stated that COSTAAT should as a matter of policy target males, especially Afro-Trinidadian males — Science and Technology Minister Danny Montano (under whose portfolio COSTAAT falls) said it was accurate. But Enill then stated that it was an error, Mark noted. Now Rowley had added to the contradition, he said.

“We do want to get clarification from the Minister in the Ministry of Finance on whether the errata sheet is Government’s policy or his (personal) policy because the Minister of Planning says in the newspapers that it (targetting Afro-Trinidadian males for COSTAAT) is policy,” Mark stated. Stating that Government was going down a dangerous road, Mark wanted to know who was going to take paternity for this blunder. “I warn this Government that this kind of PNM apatheid that they are trying to introduce into this country will have very devastating consequences for the peace, harmony, stability and unity of this country,” Mark said. He stressed that he was not raising the matter “out of malice” but because he wanted to ensure “equity, justice and fairplay” for all citizens. Earlier, Mark slammed Government for increasing the prices of gasoline and kerosene, saying that it was merely to get revenue to pay for URP and other projects. “I heard the AG saying URP is a corrupt project... So you are going to take my and other people’s hard-earned money to give to ghost gangs, criminals, community leaders to buy drugs...Taking my money to feed criminals... to pay gangsters... who are creating mayhem,” he said. Stating that Government was making the poor people poorer in order to make these gangsters richer, Mark said one of these criminals had been going home with $500,000 every fortnight. “How could you justify this unconscionable increase?” he asked. At the same time, he said that this “heartless, evil, vicious and wicked regime” had “executed” 9,000 Caroni workers.

The UNC Senator said PNM would face the wrath of the people for its policies and no “mongoose” could prevent this. On the issue of CEPEP, Mark said Government expanded the programme to provide more contracts for “councillors, chairmen and other big “sirwatees.” He said the former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, a lady who lives at Westmoorings, had secured a $375,000 CEPEP contract. Mark stated that in the restructuring of NHA, Government planned to lay off more than 700 of its 11,000 workers and dared Housing Minister Martin Joseph to deny this. “What will the Prime Minister do when all these people march against crime, unemployment, discrimination? Will he bring out the ‘hit’ squad, the riot squad, the fring squad?” Mark asked.