Monday 10th November 2014 Honourable Kamla Persad-Bissessar SC, MP Prime Minister The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago Re: Mediation with Dr. Wayne Kublalsingh and the Highway Re-route Movement Madam Prime Minister, I am writing to you today to discourage you from mediating with Dr. Wayne Kublalsingh and the Highway Re-route Movement, which will not only validate and encourage the action these persons have embarked on but will also distract you and your administration from the urgent economic, social, and health care issues which we presently face. As you are aware, last month I embarked upon my own hunger strike to provide a counter argument of that being put forward by the Highway Re-route Movement and also highlight the benefits that the highway will bring to the residents of south Trinidad. Both during my hunger strike and in the weeks following I have been contacted by many of those same residents who have indicated to me both their approval of the construction of the highway segment between Debe and Mon Desir as well as their distrust of the legitimacy of the hunger strike that Dr. Kublalsingh has claimed he has been performing. Though these interactions, it is now my view that there are quite a number of persons who live both within the Debe to Mon Desir area, and in the surrounding areas who support this section of the highway and are eagerly anticipating its completion so that they can begin to enjoy the relief and enrichment that it will bring to their lives. Madam Prime Minister, as you would have experienced first-hand, having lived most of your life in south Trinidad, in the decades gone by there has been little to no development to the road infrastructure in these areas, especially where it relates to traffic alleviation. While the number of vehicles that occupy our nation’s roadways have been increasing exponentially over the past twenty years, there has previously been no mechanism put in place to lighten the burden on what were already insufficient roadways in these areas. As a result, the residents of these areas have had to suffer through countless hours of traffic and frustration that would have not only produced additional financial encumbrance upon these homes, but also severely impacted upon essential quality time among families. The actions and demands of the Highway Re-route Movement, and especially those of their leader, Dr. Wayne Kublalsingh, now threaten the promise of reprieve from the misery and turmoil of the traffic woes that these citizens have had to endure. But what is worse to the point of being obscene, is when Dr. Kublalsingh can create and garner sympathy from the media and the public for what he claims is a hunger strike that is now on the fifty-fifth day, during which time he alleges that he has fasted from both solid and liquid nourishment, but which all medical and scientific information known to man today will reveal to be an impossible feat. Madam Prime Minister, it is beyond my own understanding how anyone in good conscience can negotiate with a man who refuses to tell the truth, and instead chooses to lie and deceive an entire nation. There would have been no shame or even diminished appreciation for his efforts had Dr. Kublalsingh indicated from the commencement of his protest action that he would have been ingesting fluids or whatever form of nourishment he has been taking to keep himself alive. Even the great Mohandas Gandhi, to whom he has been compared, drank small amounts of water during his famous hunger strikes so as to prolong the action for maximum success, while still starving his body of food to highlight the level of his conviction to his cause. I will also like to remind you at this juncture that the Highway Re-route Movement have also filled an appeal to the Privy Council regarding their injunction to halt the construction of the highway between Debe and Mon Desir for further ecological studies to take place. This of course will be the fourth court hearing of this matter, with the first three applications being refused. As such, and as you have stated in the past, direct intervention by the government into this matter may be improper until such time as all legal proceedings have run their due course. With all of this being said however, I do appreciate that you have a duty to ensure the preservation of the lives of each citizen of this great nation and this commitment places you in an extremely awkward and difficult position. Bearing this in mind, I would therefore like to humbly request, that if you, or a member of cabinet, in your wisdom decides to meet with Dr. Kublalsingh and the Highway Re-route Movement for the purpose of mediation in this matter, that representatives of the pro-highway group, Citizens 4D Highway, be invited to that meeting as well. This group, which I also represent as a spokesperson, has been functioning for the past two years and represents the residents of south Trinidad who are in favour of the construction of the entire highway, but most notably, are demanding the construction of the portion of the highway between Debe and Mon Desir. I humbly believe that for there to be balanced and encompassing dialogue in this matter there needs to be representation from persons who support the highway construction and who are knowledgeable enough about this situation to provide counter arguments that are necessary for healthy debate, and this is what we as a group can contribute if called upon to do so. Madam Prime Minister, please allow me to end by stating your handling of this matter to date has been extraordinary and exemplary given the unenviable position in which you have been placed. I know that any decision you may make, in your wisdom, will be done with the best interest of the country and its citizens in mind. I thank you for your time and consideration in this matter and I look forward to your response. Best regards, Ravi Balgobin Maharaj Spokesperson Citizens 4D Highway
Posted on: Mon, 10 Nov 2014 20:10:15 +0000
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