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WORLD NEWSMonday 7 September 2015
Trinidad PM in election fight over crime, corruption claims
Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago Kamla Persad-Bissessar speaks in Perth, Australia. Persad- People’s Partnership co- Trinis,” said Karen Bart Al-
alition. exander, a social devel-
Bissessar, the twin-island’s first female prime minister, faces a tough re-election on Monday, She has called crime opment planner.
the No. 1 problem in the Persad-Bissessar has in-
Sept. 7, 2015 amid complaints that her government has tolerated corruption and failed to curb country and proposes cluded officials of African
better policing and a ze- descent in her Cabinet,
violent crime. (AP Photo/Rob Griffith) ro-tolerance approach. including Warner, who
“Now is not the time to was national security min-
TONY FRASER Persad-Bissessar and the tion, some lobbied by experiment with any in- ister until April 2013. He
Associated Press party of opposition leader ousted former world soc- experienced party,” she resigned after an ethics
PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad Keith Rowley. cer official Jack Warner, said at a recent rally. panel of the regional CO-
(AP) — The first female The two rivals have a who is seeking to recap- “You need to give us an- CACAF soccer federation
prime minister of Trini- similar ideology and their ture a seat in Parliament other five years to finish released a report accus-
dad and Tobago faces a support is divided largely while fighting extradition our work.” ing him of enriching him-
tough fight for re-election along ethnic lines. Each to the U.S. on corruption The prime minister has self through fraud during
Monday amid complaints claims he or she will do a charges. promised a new highway, his tenure with the orga-
about corruption and better job of tackling vio- Five parties and several a children’s hospital, free nization.
violent crime in the twin- lent crime and managing independents are con- laptops for primary school He was one of 14 people
island Caribbean nation. the country’s natural gas testing the 41 seats in the students and grants to sin- indicted in the U.S. on cor-
Polls show a close race for and oil resources amid Parliament. gle mothers. ruption charges involv-
control of Parliament be- falling prices. Persad-Bissessar, 63, took The United National Con- ing international soccer’s
tween the coalition led The two also have traded office in May 2010 at the gress, the largest contin- governing body FIFA and
by Prime Minister Kamla accusations of corrup- head of the four-party gent in the prime minis- has been battling extra-
ter’s coalition, has its base dition. Polls suggest he is
of support with people of unlikely to regain the seat
East Indian descent who he lost when his term ex-
make up about 35 per- pired in June.
cent of the population of The People’s National
1.2 million. Movement led the coun-
Opposition leader Keith try to independence in
Rowley, leader of the Peo- 1962 and held power for
ple’s National Movement, most of the next half cen-
has his base among peo- tury.
ple of African descent, It has accused the gov-
who also make up about ernment of mismanaging
35 percent. Some of his the oil-based economy,
supporters accuse the rul- which has averaged an-
ing party of taking ethnic nual growth of only half a
politics too far. percent over the past five
“I am against this govern- years.
ment because of its eth- Rowley said the economy
nic agenda in promoting needs to be diversified
its Indo supporters, giving to lessen the island’s de-
them the major jobs in the pendence on its energy
public service over Afro- sector.q
Guyana’s government says it will undercut river bridge toll
Associated Press tion last month, the gov- years. (97 kilometers) southeast vate operators giving the
GEORGETOWN, Guyana ernment had ordered On Sunday, State Minister of the city, is the lifeline firm a monopoly.
(AP) — Guyana’s govern- that a $10 toll for vehicles Joseph Harmon said au- connection between the President David Granger
ment said on Sunday that crossing the Berbice River thorities will offer vehicles capital and the coastal has said the government is
it will let private boat own- bridge be reduced by a cheaper way across region near Suriname. It is reacting to demands from
ers offer taxi service across about $3, but company the river by allowing pri- controlled by an opposi- students and the poor
a river near the Suriname directors refused and in- vate vessels to compete tion businessman. who cannot afford rates
border after the opposi- stead asked for a 50 per- with the toll bridge and The previous government for crossing the bridge to
tion-linked company that cent increase in rates. The will help the boat owners had banned the state fer- go to school and to ac-
controls the bridge over it Berbice River Company keep rates down by subsi- ry service from competing cess state services on the
refused to lower tolls. Inc. has the rights to op- dizing their services. with the facility and had other side of the river in
In its budget presenta- erate the bridge for 21 The bridge, about 60 miles also done the same to pri- New Amsterdam town.q