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CCNTV6
  • 11 months ago

As the Surrey Village Community Centre opens, the Minister of Community development warns residents that the onus is on them to foster community spirit.... meanwhile, the MP sounds a warning to electors to beware of those with snake oil charms.


Transcript
00:00After years of neglect Surrey Village has finally got its spanking new
00:05community centre. A pivotal moment came in late 2019 when the Prime Minister
00:11Honourable Dr. Keith Rowley visited our centre en route to our sister village in
00:16Lopino. His recognition of our building's state was a turning point and soon after
00:23we learnt that our prayers were answered the centre would be rebuilt. For the
00:29Minister charged with community development visiting different parts of
00:32the country is always edifying. I'm from Tobago and I haven't learned all of
00:39Trinidad as well as I should just yet but every time I go to a new area I
00:46discover a wealth and beauty of the people in every single corner of
00:54Trinidad that I go and it's really a real privilege to experience. I turned to
01:00Marvin this morning I said it's the first time I've been to the opening of
01:04a community centre where you had three sets of prayers. She laments the lack of
01:09community spirit evident in day-to-day life in TNT. So for the people who don't
01:14have say you're living in a house or a part of a house that was handed down to
01:20you or you're sharing as a family you have persons in the household that
01:24refuse to sign to allow that person to refurbish their space. It tells a lot
01:33about what we have become not only as a country because we like to stay in our
01:39little corner and cross the country but much of what is taking place in the
01:44country is a reflection of you. In urging villagers to foster spirit of
01:50love and respect the minister reminds the Community Council they have a great
01:55responsibility. If Miss Cindy has the key her children and her family have to pay
02:01to use the centre too if that is the policy.
02:08The list goes on and on and on this is your community centre. As such she says
02:16rules and policies should be drawn up to ensure this investment benefits all. I've
02:23seen in my little experience in a community where the president of the
02:28Community Council decided that she turned in the community centre into a
02:33homeless centre and nobody else could lose this centre just homeless people
02:38living in the facility on her own volition her own decision we had to
02:44fight to treat with that kind of matter so that's the kind of madness that goes
02:50on from communities community. The minister says citizens are at times
02:54caught up with the benefits they receive from government and forget the little
02:58children who too should benefit from activities at the centre. All of us have
03:03benefited from all Trinidad and Tobago has to offer free education business
03:10grant HTC homes you name it you name it agricultural grant pension for people
03:19who never work a day in their life it's nice yeah. With the 2025 general election
03:25on the horizon the MP for the area Marvin Gonzalez cautions electors. In
03:30Trinidad and Tobago we have a lot of smart men and smart women who come in to
03:33you with snake oil talk and telling you do the voters and we will give you this
03:37and voters they are smart men and smart women and I want to caution you to be
03:44careful of those who come to you in sheep clothing they will devour you and
03:51eat you like salmon and bacon when the morning comes be very careful. Gonzalez
03:59says while TNT has its fair share of challenges there exists the capacity to
04:04do good and one should not believe those preaching that all circumstances are the
04:09worst. Don't tell me about your road I know how bad the road is and we intend
04:13to fix the road in the same way that we improve the water supply in Lopino and
04:19La Pastora and by the way in next two months the famous Lopino historical site
04:27will once again return to its full glory.
04:32Ravishi Tiwari, Rupnirine TV 6 News
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