Roget threatens mass protests, pledges to cause fall of PP government

Ancel Roget holds the 2010 manifesto of the People's Partnership (PP)

President general of the Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union (OWTU) Ancel Roget is sounding more like a politician and less like a labour leader.

Last Friday he tore up a copy of the People's Partnership's 2010 election manifesto at a demonstration in Point Fortin and threatened to shut down the town to bring attention to what he said is the neglect.

Roget expressed anger over the closure of CEPEP in the town and the proposed privatisation of Trinmar. He even supported the protest group that is lobbying against the highway to Point Fortin.

Referring to the manifesto, which was produced by the People's Partnership coalition, including the Movement for social Justice (MSJ) of which Roget is a member, the union leader said it contained “only lies and deceit”.

He also claimed that trade unionists no longer support Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar, and urged unions to prepare for “massive protests.”

Roget said, “We have seen political parties come and we have seen political parties go. We have them come in 2010 and we will seen them go on or before 2015. All the people of Point Fortin, if we do not get these issues addressed, we must prepare to pay a visit to Siparia in their constituency.

“We must be prepared to come off of our laurels and go into Port-of-Spain and deal with these issues. We must be prepared, on a day to be announced, to shutdown Point Fortin.

“Close it down completely until we bring attention to all of these issues in Point Fortin. Nothing must come, nothing must go, not even a helicopter in Point Fortin unless they address in a meaningful way all of the issues for the people of Point Fortin,” Roget said.

Roget also spoke about plans by government to build a 100-bed hospital in Point Fortin. He said the hospital should be 10 times bigger to cater for 1,000 patients.

He said a bigger hospital is a necessity. “You say you found 48 million barrels of oil in Point Fortin, so we want a hospital that is fitting to the wealth of Point Fortin,” Roget said.

Roget suggested that the government is victimising Point Fortin because the people elected the PNM candidate Paula Paula Gopee-Scoon as their Member of Parliament.