RESIDENTS of Debe South see the February 7 by-election in their district as an opportunity to finally get some representation at the local government level. They also see the by-election as an opportunity to highlight many challenges which they face and hope that whoever is elected councillor early next month, will meaningfully address those challenges and maybe even find solutions to them.
The Prime Minister advised President Paula-Mae Weekes of the February 7 by-election date in a statement issued by his office (OPM) on January 3. The seat became vacant after the death of UNC councillor Purushottam Singh on February 14, 2021. The district falls under the jurisdiction of the Penal/Debe Regional Corporation (PDRC). There are 12 polling stations in the district.
Nomination Day was January 17. Dr Rowley asked for the election writ for the by-election to be issued in accordance with Section 29 of the Municipal Corporations Act.
The PDRC is one of seven local government corporations in Trinidad which is controlled by the Opposition UNC. In the 2019 local government elections, the PNM and UNC each won seven of the 14 local government corporations in Trinidad. In addition to the PDRC, the UNC also holds the Chaguanas borough, Siparia, Princes Town, Sangre Grande, Mayaro/Rio Claro and Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo regional corporations. The PNM controls the cities of Port of Spain and San Fernando; Arima and Point Fortin boroughs; and San/Juan Laventille and Diego Martin regional corporations.
The PDRC has ten electoral districts, which includes Debe South. In the December 2019 local government elections, the UNC won all ten districts in the PDRC. The party also has four aldermen at the corporation. In those elections, Singh convincingly defeated PNM candidate Jagessar Deodath by 2,859 to 103 votes.
[caption id="attachment_935820" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Cuchawan Trace residents Gunness Ramdeen, centre, and Inshan Dupray, left, during an interview with Newsday's Clint Chan Tack. - Marvin Hamilton[/caption]
On this occasion, it is a three-way race between the UNC, PNM and Progressive Empowerment Party (PEP) to win Debe South. On January 17, the UNC's Khemrah Sunil Seecharan, the PNM's Judy Sookdeo and the PEP's Lorenzo Sammy filed their nomination papers at the Elections and Boundaries Commission returning office at the Shoppes of Debe compound in Debe.
Sitting on an old wooden swing of a neighbour's house in Cuchawan Trace where he's lived all his life, 67-year-old Inshan Dupray feels relieved that the by-election is finally happening.
"We expect to have proper representation (after the by-election.)"
Dupray lamented that Singh was unable to do much for burgesses in his short tenure.
"We are crying out for help because we had a heavy rainy season where there will be mosquitoes throughout the country."
Dupray said this problem will be particularly severe within Debe South because of the vacancy left after Singh's death.
"We did not have a councillor. We did not have a voice."
While other UNC c
