Even though he is unelected as member of Parliament for Princes Town, United National Congress (UNC) candidate Barry Padarath began assuming some functions as he spoke at the Ministry of Education’s opening of the Princes Town East Secondary School yesterday.
At the same function, his predecessor Nela Khan objected to master of ceremonies Avion Crooks’ introduction of her as the former member of Parliament for Princes Town. Khan said she was still the MP until September 7. In an interview, Education Minister Dr Tim Gopeesingh was asked whether Padarath’s participation in the opening could be perceived as using government business for election campaigning. He replied it was done only out of respect.
“Not at all, he is just a candidate for the time being, he is not the member of Parliament. It is just a matter of respect,” Gopeesingh said.
“Well we invited him as a candidate for the area for Princes Town and we invited, out of courtesy, the former member of Parliament for the constituency as well. This is not election campaigning. I have all these schools to open from since they have been completed and I think it is important that the schools we have constructed be formally opened under our watch.”
During Padarath’s address, he said he hoped to return to the school a few weeks after the general election with Dr Gopeesingh and Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar to distribute laptops to Form One students. He told students that the PM was committed to improving education as she spent her childhood days walking to school barefooted and eating “roti and pumpkin out of the brown bag.”
“Now these things are from our leader and she puts herself out there for re-election. We don’t say it because we want to get sympathy, we say it because it is the truth. Especially in Princes Town where there is a lot of development that is very much needed. I wish to remind you this morning of how far we have gone and how far we have to go,” Padarath said.
Clarifying Khan’s confusion on whether she was still an MP, Gopeesingh said that a letter from the Parliament indicated that when the Lower House was dissolved on July 17, there were no members of Parliament until the election. “We see ourselves as former members of Parliament. I am sure everybody would understand that we are former members of Parliament. It is only when we are re-elected. I am former but I will be the next member of Parliament Caroni East,” Gopeesingh said.
With over 24 Early Childhood Care and Education Centres, eight more primary schools and the opening of the Five Rivers Secondary School constructed under the People’s Partnership, he said, the Government wanted to have them opened under their tenure.
He also opened the Couva West Secondary School yesterday, which he said was started under the People’s National Movement. He said his Government had to spend an additional $30 million to address problems with an air conditioning system which worked with natural gas, a design not found anywhere else in the Caribbean and has only one supplier.