The Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union (OWTU) has launched a campaign in the Pointe-a-Pierre constituency to discourage residents from voting for the UNC’s candidate David Lee.
Armed with flyers and a public announcement system, president general Ancel Roget and union executives took to the streets to spread their message yesterday.
Roget, who spoke with journalists at St Margaret’s Junction, Claxton Bay, said the purpose of the campaign was to remind constituents of the neglect they had faced under the People’s Partnership MP Errol Mc Leod, a former president general of the OWTU.
“We intend to go as far as time will permit us to go throughout the PP constituency to remind the members of these communities the type of representation they got from the UNC,” Roget said.
“The type of representation they got from an MP who came to them on the last occasion and I’m certain that they would remember five years ago Errol Mc Leod coming to them asking them for their vote and they didn’t see him after that.”
Roget said Mc Leod turned his back on residents and Lee would do the same.
“So all of the problems they experienced, Mc Leod would have turned their backs on them. Today you have a similar situation where you have an outsider, someone who does not live in the constituency, but coming again for their vote and support to be their MP.”
Roget said the OWTU wanted residents to search their consciences before casting their votes.
“We want to remind them of all of these issues that at the end of the day will affect their level of governance and we want to ask them to search their conscience and not vote for the UNC, vote out Kamla and vote out any representative that comes representing the UNC.” (SR)
Hurried contracts at Petrotrin
Roget said he had information that contracts were being drawn up and signed in Petrotrin before the general election on Monday.
“We have the facts where Petrotrin today has been raped and plundered through corruption. As we speak right now they are hurriedly signing up contracts that will guarantee them money in their pockets for the next five years,” said Roget.
“On the eve of a general election you have a state-owned company signing up contracts, awarding contracts, putting money in the pockets of their friends guaranteeing a better quality of life for them.”
Commenting on fluctuating oil prices, Roget said the damage would not be caused by falling prices, but rather falling production.
“I think what will affect the economy even worse is that in the face of falling oil prices we have falling volumes in terms of the amount of barrels of oil we produce daily. That is what we are faced with and we are faced with that simply because of bad management.”
He said when Petrotrin underperformed, the treasury and the people in the areas surrounding the company suffered.
“So that when Petrotrin is underperforming it is people from St Margaret’s, Claxton Bay, and Marabella that immediately suffer but more importantly the entire country suffers because Petrotrin cannot make its contributions to the treasury.”