Marlene McDonald was first elected to the House of Representatives as the PNM’s Member for Port-of-Spain South on November 5, 2007. She was chosen as the candidate by the Patrick Manning leadership, replacing Port-of-Spain South MP Eric Williams.
McDonald was later appointed PNM deputy leader. Under the Manning adminstration she was Minister of Community Development, Culture and Gender Affairs.
She was among the 12 PNM MPs who retained their seats in the May 2010 general election when the People’s Partnership defeated the PNM. She was later chosen by new leader Dr Keith Rowley as the PNM Opposition’s Whip for the 2010-2015 term.
In fact, she was among the first wave of PNM candidates chosen to contest the September 7, 2015 general election and was one of only four incumbents retained to do so.
Four days after PNM’s victory in the September 7 election — and winning her seat — McDonald was sworn in as Minister of Housing and Urban Development.
Months into the new term, however, allegations were broken by the Sunday Guardian last year concerning the non-profit Calabar Foundation entity and alleged involvement of McDonald’s close relative during her time in the Manning administration.
The Sunday Guardian chronicled an Integrity Commission examination of the Calabar issue, allegedly concerning monies donated to the foundation, the Waterwheel Foundation and McEachrane Rental and Transport.
It was alleged that a relative of McDonald’s was listed and paid as a ministerial driver, though he wasn’t resident in T&T at the time of the contract.
Calabar Foundation listed McDonald’s common-law husband Michael Carew, his brother, Lennox Carew, and Victor McEachrane among directors.
It was reported McEachrane was also the owner of McEachrane Transport and Rentals, which allegedly received million-dollar contracts for the construction of community centres under McDonald’s tenure.
In December, she denied knowing her common-law husband was involved in Calabar and later denied knowledge of the foundation.
The Sunday Guardian reported that in 2009, McDonald granted same day approval of a $65,000 payment to Calabar Foundation for the hosting of a Christmas/End-of-Year function for senior citizens in the La Brea/Point Fortin area. The foundation didn’t have a registered office then but carried a PO Box in Arima and a mobile phone contact. That letter requested $75,000.
McDonald maintained innocence. It was reported she had already faced allegations of breaches to the Integrity in Public Life Act (ILPA) but was cleared by the commission in December 2013.
When the second issue arose in January 2015 — McDonald’s alleged abuse of office concerning assistance to get a Housing Development Corporation house at Fidelis Heights in 2008 for a close relative — she described it as a “red herring”.
But she later admitted that in 2007 (as Community Development Minister in the Manning administration) she had enquired after the status of an application to purchase State housing on behalf of someone with whom she had a “personal relationship.”
Both the Calabar and HDC house issues were sent to the Integrity Commission for probe by the Opposition and Fixin’ T&T.