PNM defends its record on race and ethnicity, but fails to deal with some issues raised by Jack

The People's National Movement (PNM) issued a rebuttal Thursday of charges made against it in Parliament Wednesday by Works and transport Minister Jack Warner.

However it did not address some of the specific issues raised by Warner, including a demand for opposition leader Keith Rowley to apologise for falsely accusing Attorney General Anand Ramlogan of visiting the Trinidad and Tobago diplomatic mission in New york and complaining about the ethnic composition.

The PNM did not address that issue although Warner produced evidence to show that the AG did not go to New York as claimed by Rowley.

In a media release from General Secretary Ashton Forde, the party said since its birth the PNM the has always reflected "the racial and ethnic composition of the population".

Forde said claims by Warner that the PNM has a history of discrimination against persons of East Indian descent are false.

He noted, "For the record, the PNM states that Rohan Sinanan, deputy political leader, Policy Matters, and the field officer, Indar Parasram, long-standing members of the party, are both Hindus." Warner had claimed that there are no Hindus in the current executive of the PNM.

However, Forde's release did not address the specific issue that Warner raised that in its entire history the PNM never had a single Hindu in its cabinet and that only two Indians were in the cabinet between 1956 and 1986, when the PNM was first voted out of office.

It also did not deal with Warner's specific issue of the representation.

Forde said, "Mr Warner also accused the PNM of having representatives in Parliament of only one ethnic group. The PNM has always presented a slate of candidates for local or general elections that reflect the racial and ethnic composition of the population."

While the PNM slate of candidates for last year's general election comprised of 17 Indo-Trinidadians, 16 Afro-Trinidadians and eight mixed persons, Warner was asking Rowley something more specific.

Warner was not questioning the party's slate. Here is what the minister stated:

"Look at the composition of your whole team and you tell me in your 12 members, who is of East Indian origin? Your party couldn't put an East Indian in Diego Martin North East? In Port of Spain South? In Laventille West? Look at the 12 of you and tell me who is East Indian?"

Forde also stated, "The PNM wishes to further state that since its inception in 1956, the party has always been broad-based at both the party's executive and the Parliament".

"The PNM strongly condemns the UNC for its ethnic remarks and head-counting, which is totally counter-productive in our social, political and economic development in our beloved Republic of Trinidad and Tobago."

However it was the party's leader who raised the issue of head counting accusing the People's Partnership of creating an ethnic imbalance in the appointment of state boards.

Warner countered by pointing out that under the PNM 79 per cent of appointees to state boards were people of African descent while under the People's Partnership that figure is up to 47 per cent.

The PNM also failed to deal with other issues raised by Warner such as the award of 90 per cent of $53 million in secret scholarships to people of African origin as the policy stated by Rowley as planning minister that certain government sponsored training courses were designed for young Africans.