There are at least two organisations which have used poverty in Laventille for their own financial gain, MP for Laventille West Fitzgerald Hinds has said.
Hinds said the groups managed to gain “material benefits” both locally and internationally on behalf of the “downtrodden” of Laventille, but those benefits do not trickle down to those who actually need it.
He made the statement yesterday as he lamented that Laventille does not have a sense of community but rather is made up of individuals who only think about themselves.
Hinds said a prime example of this “selfishness” is the fact that people were being chased from their homes by others.
Hinds, who was elected as the MP for Laventille West in 2015, served as the MP for Laventille East/ Morvant for 12 years previously.
He made the statement during the Laventille Community Empowerment Symposium held at the Laventille Technology and Continuing Education Centre yesterday.
“Laventille’s issues are not so much about infrastructure it is largely about our culture, meaning, in very general terms, the way we do things. The things we do and the way we do them,” Hinds said.
Hinds said an example of the selfishness taking place in Laventille is people being chased from the homes.
“There are people who are chased out of their homes, for years having worked hard, having struggled, having inherited it. Somebody decides I want your home. In fact, right now we are dealing with a situation where it is suggested that two young men lost their lives because somebody wanted their home,” Hinds said.
Hinds said organisations were also using poverty in Laventille to their own benefit.
“I know of at least two groups that use the plight of the people of Laventille going all over the place including internationally and talking about poor people in Laventille and downtrodden and all of that and gaining benefits, material befits which Laventille never saw, and if Laventille saw it saw a minuscule amount.”