Reshma Ragoonath
The D’Abadie/O’Meara constituency is up for grabs on September 7. One of the youngest constituencies, it is now held by the People’s Partnership (PP) and it will not be an easy task for the PP to hold on to the seat as the People’s National Movement (PNM) seems set to recapture this marginal East/West corridor constituency.
Political analyst Dr Maukesh Basdeo believes that the seat, which was created in 2007 and contested in the last two elections, could easily swing back to the PNM in 2015.
“It (D’Abadie/O’Meara) was a seat that was held by the PNM in 2007 and it was won by the COP under the Partnership in 2010. When you look at the tradition, some would say that these seats (on the East/West corridor) are more inclined to return back to the PNM rather than before,” Basdeo said.
D’Abadie/O’Meara, he said, was seen as a marginal especially given the 1,343-vote difference between the winner and loser in the 2010 election. Prior to that election, in 2007 the PNM’s Karen Nunez-Tesheira captured 8,877 votes. Her closest rival that year was the COP’s Dr Lincoln Douglas who captured 3,695 votes. The UNC’s Nathalie Small mustered 2,425 votes.
In 2013, the seat showed a shift in its political leanings and Basdeo said this may very well carry into the September 7 polls.
He said the results of the local government elections and the success that the PNM experienced along the East/West corridor, especially since the party gained control of the Arima Borough Corporation and the Tunapuna Piarco Regional Corporation, could make a difference in 2015.
“When you look at where these (East/West corridor) constituencies lie, D’Abadie/O’Meara falls between these two corporations and when you think of that, the PNM has a greater chance in D’Abadie/O’Meara constituency than the PP,” Basdeo explained.
Cedeno-Metivier advantage may not pay off—Basdeo
D’Abadie/O’Meara has had its share of controversies over the last five years, the most contentious being the dismissal of then MP Anil Roberts as sport minister in 2014.
Roberts was removed after corruption allegations surfaced in the Life Sport programme. He also resigned as MP.
The probe into that programme, which was created under his tenure, is still the subject of an ongoing police investigation.
Former Arima deputy mayor Patricia Cedeno-Metivier was appointed the caretaker representative for the constituency after Roberts’s resignation. She was named as the COP’s candidate for the general election.
Basdeo said Cedeno-Metivier had an edge over her opponent PNM candidate Brigadier Ancil W Antoine having been the constituency caretaker for just under one year.
However, he does not believe this will have a significant impact at the polls unless the COP steps up its campaign.
“She is a COP candidate, so it will depend on how the COP manages that seat for the 2015 election. Cedeno-Metivier would have had ample time, about a year to actually work the seat, so we could say that she had an advantage having been a caretaker and working in the seat. But then you have to look at it as the effectiveness of the COP in returning this seat,” Basdeo explained.
Cedeno-Metivier is facing stiff competition from Brigadier Ancil W Antoine whose campaign has been picking up steam in the constituency which now has an increased electorate of 28,953 voters.
While Life Sport was fraught with allegations of corruption and possible links to criminal elements the positive impact of the programme in D’Abadie/O’Meara cannot be denied.
A large portion of youths within the constituency, especially those in Carapo, were keenly involved in sporting camps and educational programmes under Life Sport.
Emmanuel Murray, 70, of Mahogany Drive, Malabar, said the programme should be re-introduced in the constituency and he is advocating that Roberts be given another chance.
“I want to see Anil Roberts come back because he was a good boy. He did things for the community. He bring Life Sport and it had cricket and football and it gave the youths something to do. Since they cut the programme all I have only been seeing is extra police,” he said.
Carapo resident Sherina Samaroo, 35, agreed with Murray.
She said since the programme was cancelled young people have nothing productive in the area to do.
“We need some facilities for the youths because they are just idlesome, doing nothing and getting themselves into trouble and our village is getting a bad name because some of the youths are doing deliquent things. We need things for the youths,” she said.
While Cleavon Kinsale, 39, of Pomegranate Drive, Malabar Road, lamented that representation in D’Abadie/O’Meara was poor, he did not think the PNM could simply cruise home to victory.
“The PNM has been doing a lot of campaigning over the weekend and I would say the weekend because it was only then I realised that they were campaigning. But I do not know if that will be enough to take back the seat because it really depends on who comes out to vote,” Kinsale said.
Residents listed a number of issues they wished to have addressed in their constituency ranging from lack of health facilities to poor water supply and a lack of opportunities for youth development.
One of the issues that continues to peeve residents in the constituency is the delay of the construction of the Malabar Government Primary School.
Yohance Hackett, 38, of Allamanda Road, Malabar, said the community had been looking forward to the completion of the school. However, work has been stalled.
He claimed residents were told money ran out for the project.
However, the Ministry of Education has listed the project as under construction.
Unlike her neighbours, an Allamanda Drive resident who gave her name only as Rachel said she was glad construction had stalled because the school was being built next to her home and when it opened it would be “noisy” and cause a lot of traffic.
“When the school is there is a lot of traffic and people cannot pass. They should not have a school on a street like this,” she said.
She also complained that the area was infested with rats and mosquitoes and the corporation was not responding to residents’ concerns.
“They do not pass around enough in the area to collect garbage so there is a lot of rats and mosquitoes in the area. They do not spray enough,” she said.
Vanessa Ali, 37, of Race Course Road, Arima, also shared Rachel’s concern.
Ali, who was waiting for transport at the end of her street, said residents had problems with drainage and garbage.
“The water just stagnant and there is a set of mosquitoes breeding inside the drains. They have not sprayed the area in a long time. When the garbage truck comes it only picks up some of the garbage and leaves half so it always smelling stink here and it is unbearable,” she complained.
Over on Jacamar Boulevard, Malabar resident Sherwin Smith, 42, lamented the length of time it was taking to get lights operational at the nearby recreation ground.
“We have a park that is in need of lights. The lights do not come on and it is pretty dark. We need it fixed. That is the community park where my kids and kids from Malabar come over and play in the area. We want that problem addressed,” he complained.
He also pointed to an abandoned house at the end of his street that is currently occupied by two mentally challenged people. He said numerous reports had been made to have them removed from the house, but to no avail. One of the residents, he said, suffered a broken leg when one of the mentally challenged people threw a stone at her.
D’ABADIE/O’MEARA BOUNDARIES
In 2007 the EBC took a decision to create six new constituencies, bringing the total number of seats up for grabs to 41.
Among the seats created were La Horquetta/Talparo, Cumuto/Manzanilla, Lopinot/Bon Air West, D’Abadie/O’Meara, Oropouche East and West.
The EBC joined the Arouca South and Arouca North seats together and created three seats—Arouca/Maloney, Lopinot/Bon Air West, and D’Abadie/O’Meara.
D’Abadie/O’Meara is nestled between the St Augustine, Arouca/Maloney, Arima, La Horquetta/Talparo and Lopinot/Bon Air West constituencies.
VOTING HISTORY
In 2010 D’Abadie/O’Meara had an electorate of 26,019 electors which has increased by 2,934 for 2015. The electorate now stands at 28,953 and has 32 polling divisions.
The Elections and Boundaries Commission indicated that in the 2010 general election there was a 69 per cent voter turnout in the D’Abadie/O’Meara constituency.
In that year Roberts, contesting the seat on a Congress of the People (COP) ticket, was able to capture 9,695 votes to wrest the seat away from then incumbent PNM MP Karen Nunez-Tesheira who received 8,352 votes.
MORE INFO
How they voted
2010
Anil Roberts (COP) 9,695 voters
Karen Nunez-Tesheira (PNM) 8,352
2007
Karen Nunez-Tesheira (PNM) 8,877
Dr Lincoln Douglas (COP) 3,695
Nathalie Small (UNC) 2,425