In response to claims that Point Fortin was neglected during her tenure as Member of Parliament, Paula Gopee Scoon said she did her best given the limitations of being an opposition representative. She said projects earmarked for the constituency were abandoned when the People’s National Movement (PNM) lost the election in 2010.
Pledging support for her successor Major General Edmund Dillon, Gopee Scoon said this was not good bye. “The only person we must say good bye to is Kamla. Goodbye Kamla. Hello Rowley,“ Gopee Scoon told crowds at Market Square during a political meeting hosted by the PNM
The outgoing MP said during the tenure of Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar people in the Borough were denied access to tertiary education. She said requests to have the curriculum altered to suit their industrial environment have gone on deaf ears. She said the People’s Partnership government also abandoned plans to develop a UTT campus in the borough although an agreement had been signed between Atlantic LNG and UTT to construct the facility on lands acquired from Petrotrin.
“This Government came in to office and despite appeals to Fazal Karim, the UTT Campus project in Point Fortin has been abandoned,” she said Gopee-Scoon also said that during the Patrick Manning administration approval was granted the construction of the Point Fortin Hospital at a cost of $650 million with China Railway Corporation as the approved contractor.
“To date all kinds of attempts were made to build hospitals every other place but Point Fortin, with bobol attached to some like the SNC Lavelin issue and the Penal Hospital. But five years later, no hospital in Point Fortin,” she said.
“They do a multimillion dollar sod turning ceremony, pitch some dirt, surround the site with galvanise and put two cranes on the property and fool the people of Point Fortin. And that hospital, they propose to build is costing more than twice the price of that proposed by us.”
Gopee-Scoon challenged Coudray, the UNC caretaker for Point Fortin whom she suggested was afraid to contest the seat, to come outside and face the people. She said Coudray was going around asking questions and seeking answers about the election. Gopee Scoon said she felt sorry for the people of Coromandel and Granville, Cedros, who after five years have been absolutely ignored and taken for granted by the UNC.
“They paid token visits, brief, and they came by boat and helicopter. They rejected you but for the lighting of recreation grounds. The rusty old barge, after much protests, has not been removed. The new jetty recommended by me not contemplated. Work on the main Icacos watercourse remains incomplete, causing much filth and disease, an environmental hazard.”
“The few roads being paved had been requested by us, all during the term but elections coming so now they paving.
“Is a tief head situation. They mamaguy the people for their votes and then absconded and now all they could do is impose Ravi Ratiram as their representative.”