PM leads powerful team to UK to celebrate Commonwealth Week 2011; Dookeran to act as PM

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar leaves for London Saturday for a one-week visit to celebrate Commonwealth Week 2011. Winston Dookeran will be acting Prime Minister during her absence.

Cabinet Ministers Stephen Cadiz, Winston "Gypsy" Peters, Chandresh Sharma, 
Foreign Minister Dr Suruj Rambachan and a team of "cultural ambassadors" will accompany her.

Rambachan announced in Parliament Friday that Soca Monarch and Road March winner Machel Montano, Patrice Roberts, Kernel Roberts and two youngsters associated with HD, Timel Rivas and Pranava Maharaj, along with Denyse Plummer, will be part of the delegation.

"These artistes and others will represent Trinidad and Tobago at business, tourism and cultural promotional events and give select performances in order to showcase our Carnival industry and our music, thereby drawing attention to Trinidad and Tobago's exciting and recently concluded Carnival celebrations," he said.

Plummer will perform at Westminster Abbey at a Commonwealth Observance ceremony, he said.

Rambachan said the government will not be paying for the cost of the cultural contingent. Their expenses will be covered by private sponsorship, he explained.

"Allow me therefore to place on public record that the Government of Trinidad and Tobago is not paying for the artistes and their technical support personnel. These costs are met through private sponsorship which does not include any State company.

"The Honourable Prime Minister and the Government acknowledge the contribution of these committed group of artistes and those who have made their trip possible at no cost to Government. This is a demonstration of nationalism and commitment to country, which we all applaud," he said.

Several business leaders will also be on the team. They are from the manufacturing, construction, banking, entertainment and hotel sectors, as well as the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Commerce. They are paying their own expenses.

Rambacahn said the objective of the visit is to provide networking opportunities between Trinidad and Tobago business leaders and their UK counterparts as well as business people and government representatives from throughout the Commonwealth.

The Prime Minister will launch the Caribbean Business Forum, which is to be held in Trinidad on June 13 and 14 in collaboration with the Commonwealth Business Council, the Children's Life Fund and the Pan-Caribbean Fund, and seek support for the funds from among the Caribbean community in the UK.

She is also scheduled to meet meet the head of the British Gas Group to discuss investments by the BG Group in Trinidad and Tobago.

Persad-Bissessar will also attend the 14th Commonwealth Lecture at which Sonia Gandhi will speak on the theme, 'Women as Agents of Change'. Gandhi is the widow of assassinated Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and is currently the president of the Congress Party in India.

Also on the PM's agenda is a meeting with Cherie Blair, wife of former UK prime minister Tony Blair. Rambachan said both women will discuss the work of the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women. 

"This meeting will also be used by the Prime Minister to inform her own thinking on strategies to empower women in Trinidad and Tobago and the Commonwealth," he stated.

The Prime Minister will deliver an address on Monday at the UK Parliament at a conference on 'Educating Women and Transforming Society'. Later in the week she will address youth delegates of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and also attend the Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF) conference in Wales.