Caption: Marvin Gonzales. Photo: T&T Parliament
By Sue-Ann Wayow
OPPOSITION Chief Whip Marvin Gonzales is wondering if he is living in Bangladesh or Delhi whenever he looks at the newly appointed state boards under the United National Congress (UNC) government.
Gonzales, speaking at an Opposition press conference on Wednesday, said the ethnic composition of the state boards did not reflect the multi-ethnicity of citizens of Trinidad and Tobago.
Gonzales also mentioned that former prime minister Dr Keith Rowley would never allow one racial composition to dominate state boards.
Both Dr Rowley and Finance Minister Colm Imbert would ask hard questions concerning state boards’ racial composition.
He mentioned Member of Parliament for St Ann’s East Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly who also spoke at the press conference.
Gonzales said, “And he would ask you directly, is that board being taken from India, if it only represents a particular race, or is it a board from Ghana? And I remember Minister Imbert, as the Corporation Sole, would ask you, even before Cabinet, is that a board from Mozambique?”
Gonzales said citizens should also be concerned about the increasing state boards with increasing East Indian ethnicity at the helm.
He said, “As far as the PNM is concerned, the appointment of State boards and persons and citizens who are qualified to serve on state boards, it must represent a diverse society like Trinidad and Tobago. And what we are seeing today by a UNC government, if it doesn’t trouble you, then I don’t know what will trouble us as a society.”
Apart from racial composition, concerns were also raised about political affiliation pointing to one in particular, the appointment of Feroze Khan to programme manager of the Unemployment Relief Programme (URP).
Khan, had managed several of the United National Congress (UNC) election campaigns including the most recent victorious April 28 general election campaign.
On Tuesday, Khan was appointed to his new position by Minister of Rural Development and Local Government Khadijah Ameen.
Gonzales said it was “political hypocrisy to the highest.”
