- 9 months ago
The Opposition Leader Pennelope Beckles-Robinson was sworn in on Tuesday. During her speech she expressed her plans to be an opposition leader for all and that her role will not be simply to butt heads with the government. Joining us in studio to discuss the new Opposition Leader's plans is Businesswoman Diana Hadad.
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00:00Welcome back to the TV6 News. Well, back to our top story now.
00:03The opposition leader, Penelope Beckles Robinson, was sworn in to D.
00:07And during his speech, she expressed her plans to be an opposition leader for all
00:12and that her role will not be simply to butt heads with the government.
00:16Well, joining us in studio to discuss the new opposition leader's plans is businesswoman, Diana Haddad.
00:21Good evening, Ms. Haddad. Thank you for joining us.
00:23Good evening, Dishan. Good evening to your viewers.
00:26Well, Ms. Robinson said opposition does not mean obstruction.
00:30What do you think about this approach?
00:32I was amazed today when I actually, I actually listened to it three times
00:36because it was sent to me and I played it over and over while driving.
00:42I found, first to begin with, Ms. Penelope Beckles, Mrs. Robinson.
00:48It was as though a rose blossomed today.
00:51It was something or somebody that we had not seen before or did not probably value or recognize who she was before.
00:59But today, I think her presentation was profound.
01:04Prior to coming here, I met a guy in the gas station.
01:07In fact, he recognized me and called me by name.
01:09His name is Cullen, so let me say it.
01:12And when I played it, he said it was profound.
01:14It was profound, Ms. Haddad.
01:16And I played it for another lady who was there and she was saying it was deeply sincere and I want to endorse those sentiments.
01:26I think it was really sincere and her language in terms of not being an obstructionist.
01:31But, you know, it's really a new phase for Trinidad and Tobago rather than us be in that mode where we always have to be in fighting mode
01:40to get what really and truly the people of Trinidad and Tobago deserve based on what leadership should represent.
01:46And I thought that to be really, really different.
01:51And I am really hoping that should I take the Prime Minister's speech, even on her closing night of campaigning,
02:00and her presentation when she was sworn in, match that with our leader of opposition today,
02:08and I think the country would be in a great place in the next 24 hours.
02:12There seem to be many similarities between their tone, both of their swearing in as Prime Minister and then as opposition leader.
02:18I mean, they spoke about their upbringing, their rags to riches, them both being women scorned in their party,
02:25having to, you know, fight through that male dominance within their party.
02:30And they both also spoke about not mistaking their physical appearance or the sound of their voice in the case of Ms. Beckles-Robinson for weakness.
02:41What do you think about that and the significance of Ms. Beckles-Robinson speaking specifically about her appearance,
02:49her voice and her tone, her manner of being?
02:52What is the significance of her mentioning that?
02:55Well, as I said, even for me today, it was somebody that we did not recognize or probably value previously
03:06based on how she did present herself in probably a subdued or taken the backseat
03:12or probably taken the role of the, what is the word, the obedient woman.
03:20You know, that, you know, that subdued, she has always presented herself like that.
03:25She was never, not a Diane maybe, Fortra, I don't go in, take a stand.
03:30So today really, we saw somebody different.
03:34So it meant it was always there.
03:37I don't think that was a performance because it was very genuine and sincere.
03:41It came from a deep place.
03:43So it meant that she was simply, and she did call God in there, the trust of God taking her through all what she has been through.
03:50And it did speak to her rising, if I want to call that, and blossoming today.
03:57She really became a blossom today for us.
04:00So she probably did experience whatever she did experience because she did speak of it.
04:07She spoke about the bells ringing and listened to the, she doesn't have to match bells with anybody, the tone.
04:13And she is prepared to do her thing.
04:16And I thought that to be really different for us as a country.
04:21And I really want to congratulate on it.
04:24It really sends a different vibration and energy through the country.
04:28And we need it.
04:29And how do you find this would be helpful to the PNM in particular,
04:32given the style of leadership that that party would have been accustomed to for the last 10 years,
04:38and even prior to that?
04:40Well, let us say that the PNM has to now decide as a party whether that approach is the one that they are going to embrace.
04:51Because we have experienced cockiness.
04:55We have experienced the pride when people get into positions.
05:00They ignore and forget the people on the ground who vote for them.
05:03It isn't that in the last administration of, under Kamala Pesad-Besessa's rule, did we not have behaviors as well.
05:15We did.
05:16But I want to say that there seems to be some sort of revolution that took place.
05:22But not for a revolution bad, but a revolution for good.
05:26Where probably light has really overcome darkness to some degree for us.
05:31I think it's really a powerful place.
05:34Even our president being a female and her whole decorum as well in carrying out her role.
05:41It was not, it actually was presented very unbiased.
05:45I must say that.
05:47Although we know she was part of the PNM and was elected and put there by them,
05:53she did carry out her role well.
05:54So maybe the ladies are making us proud, Isha.
05:56Well, you would have heard today that the PNM has also elected a lady vice chair, lady chair, sorry.
06:04Dr. Diane Gadsby-Dolley.
06:06Yes, who I actually do communicate with directly because I am involved in the education system here.
06:12And I have to say she has never not responded to her text message or a phone call.
06:18She was always reachable.
06:20So to be fair to people, she never was cocky about her position.
06:26So the females, some of them, I have been attacked by some of the females myself.
06:32But she was one of the females that didn't.
06:35She was always.
06:36So I want to congratulate her on her role today from today onwards.
06:40And maybe that whole mood can now take us from.
06:44But, you know, politics has, it requires a certain edge.
06:47And it requires people who are not faint of heart and can perhaps, you know, respond accordingly.
06:55Well, we have to have the balance.
06:58We have to have the balance.
07:00The country was very much in an aggressive mode, a fighting mode, even when Mr. Young was campaigning.
07:09He kept using the word fight.
07:11And I even sent a message to somebody.
07:14Even on the night of defeat in the concession.
07:16I said it to Fitzgerald Hines on the air.
07:19I said, could you tell him stop using the word fight?
07:23We need to stop wanting to fight for everything.
07:28Could we allow it to flow?
07:31And I think that that, because even as a citizen, why people think I like to, I really don't like to quarrel, you know.
07:37I actually like to dance and be happy and have a good time.
07:41But?
07:41But?
07:42I will not allow unfairness, injustice, and I would not allow you to take advantage.
07:48That's the difference.
07:49That's the thin line.
07:50And I want to imagine that that's where their leadership, their leadership skill has to step in, in terms of where do I draw the line?
08:00Because, yes, I will dance, but I'm conscious of what's going on in my environment, and I will make decisions accordingly.
08:05Well, let's get back to Ms. Beckles-Robinson.
08:08And she has said that Tobago will not be forgotten and that she has plans for Tobago as well.
08:14What do you want to see happen?
08:15Well, Tobago is in a funny place in the legislature right now.
08:19It's interesting.
08:21We have the TPP in there.
08:22We have the PDP, and we have the PNM as also the opposition in there.
08:28What I would like to see is the airport that Dr. Rowley and his team has blessed Tobago with,
08:35that we continue on that mission to ensure that that airport is open within the timelines,
08:41that the tourism factor in terms of negotiations for, as I said in the past, sandals, slippers, high heels, clogs.
08:52I am not interested, but we do get investments on the island so we can build the tourism sector back
08:59and take us to where we once were and even better.
09:02So I would like for her to understand that right where we were, in the middle of the bridge,
09:09that she works to take us over the bridge.
09:12And if there needs to be a voice for help, I'm happy to help to make sure that nobody forgets us
09:18and leaves us by the wayside again and everything comes to a hold.
09:22And your thoughts on the Tobago party being in the Parliament, the Red House.
09:26There, too, has everybody sitting in there now.
09:30We have a TPP in there, a PNM in there, and a UNC inside of there.
09:36So even in there, it's going to be interesting in terms of the presentations and representations.
09:42And the TPP being in there, I am hoping that Mr. Samson,
09:47not only fix the road where I am in his constituency,
09:49but him and Mr. Thomas are able to represent the real needs of Tobago
09:55and we are not just there to thump desk and, you know, buy time.
10:01So they need to be able to do the work of the people of Tobago, and that is real.
10:04In her last administration, well, an actual Tobago partner would have been part of that partnership.
10:11But Ms. Passard-Bissessa formed the Ministry of Tobago
10:14to deal specifically with the development of Tobago.
10:17She's not done that this time around.
10:20Do you think that that was something that was necessary or it works well without it?
10:24Or what do you think about this configuration and the Cabinet in general?
10:28I would like to give her the chance to see what her thought patterns are for her direction.
10:35And I'm saying that because, to be honest, the entire team is pretty new,
10:39very new to all of us, very few faces that we recognize from the past.
10:46And so I would like to really give them a chance.
10:49I think they're all new and we have to say, welcome, and could you please show us who you are?
10:55I had a little challenge even hearing the news waiting to come in here,
10:59where Mr. Padarat is already making noise about the Whitehall.
11:03I think we need to not do our presentations.
11:08The country needs to tone it down now.
11:10We've had enough of it.
11:11We have had 10 years and then an election, snap call on us.
11:15We've had enough of it.
11:17We need to really, let's bring it down.
11:20If there is an issue, address it.
11:22We need to leave that alone for now and get the country's business going.
11:26Well, Ms. Haddad, thank you as always for joining us.
11:30Your thoughts always vibrantly expressed.
11:33Thank you very much.
11:34You're most welcome.
11:34Thank you very much.
11:35You're watching the TV6 News.
11:37We'll be back after this break.
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