Government’s silence on crime and rising food prices in T&T is a cause for concern among the population says Vasant Bharath, former opposition senator and minister of food production under the PP government. Bharath, who is contesting the position for the leadership of the Opposition UNC in the party’s upcoming internal election, was speaking with the media yesterday morning when members of his Team Reconnect walked along the Chaguanas Main Road and through the Chaguanas Market meeting supporters.
Bharath said during the walkabout he received tremendous support from people calling for a change not only in leadership of the UNC, but for a change in Government. Bharath said many supporters who met him along the streets complained that they or their relatives were on the breadline because of PNM policies towards contract workers.
He said, “The people are very unhappy with the PNM Government. In fact, wherever I go, people are stating that they are very unhappy with how issues of crime and food prices are being handled. The issue with HDC housing, people are very angry, there is a pent- up anger, and the Government is not saying anything. People are trying to be tolerant. But as time goes, that is likely to explode at some point in time with a lot of anger.”
Bharath said he was very much concerned about the cost of local goods when he toured the market. He said, “Prices are a little too high for the average consumer, and we need to do more as far as the agriculture sector is concerned. We need to implement more of the agricultural plan 2012-2015 in a more accelerated manner to bring prices down.
“I am aware that the president of the Agricultural Society of T&T is very distanced from the Minister of Agriculture. When I was minister of agriculture, we had a very close working relationship. I think it is important that the stakeholders, which would be the farmers in T&T, have a close working relationship with the minister that seems to have broken down, I not sure if it’s irretrievable or not.”
Bharath said it appears that a gag order might have been placed on all government ministers. He said ministers responsible for national security and housing were quiet on what he called “troubling issues.” Bharath said, “They don’t want the public to know much of what is going on.”