00:00 Changing the name of the constituency of Lopino Borneo West to Aruka Lopino is just one of
00:06 the recommendations contained in the EBC's 2024 review of constituency boundaries report
00:12 that had been brought to Parliament by the government last Friday ahead of the next general
00:17 election in Trinidad and Tobago due in 2025.
00:21 In response to a question from TV6 News, the MP for Lopino Borneo West, Public Utilities
00:26 Minister Marvin Gonzalez said he is not of the view that renaming of the constituency
00:32 will change anything or present any challenge.
00:36 Minister Gonzalez, who represents the People's National Movement, the PNM, also said track
00:41 record of service to the constituency is what will determine the outcome of the next elections
00:48 in Lopino Borneo West, which the EBC wants to be renamed Aruka Lopino.
00:54 The EBC is recommending an increase in the number of polling divisions from 29 as highlighted
00:58 in its 2019 report for Lopino Borneo West to 39 as highlighted in its 2024 recommendation
01:05 for Aruka Lopino.
01:07 The EBC noted that as of December 4, 2018, the total electorate in Lopino Borneo West
01:13 was 27,563 and as at November of 2023, the total electorate was 28,252, an increase of
01:24 698 electors.
01:25 TV6 News is sought to find out from Minister Gonzalez if the EBC's recommendations to rename
01:31 the constituency is in keeping with his observations about the growth of its population.
01:37 Minister Gonzalez said the recommendation by the EBC to rename the constituency Aruka
01:42 Lopino is consistent with his personal observation and he was not surprised by the name change.
01:50 Out of the five constituencies that the EBC has recommended to be renamed, only Pointer
01:55 Pier is represented by the United National Congress, the UNC, in Parliament.
02:00 The EBC noted that as of December 4, 2018, the total electorate in Pointer Pier was 24,994
02:08 and as at November of last year, the total electorate was 25,094.
02:15 TV6 News contacted Pointer Pier MP David Lee for comment.
02:19 All they have done with this extra PD coming from Taberkeet into Pointer Pier is about
02:26 900 electors.
02:30 So that the increase for Pointer Pier is roughly 1,000.
02:33 The EBC is recommending a change in the boundary due to the transfer of a polling division
02:38 or PD from the constituency of Taberkeet and as a result, an increase in the number of
02:42 polling divisions from 31 in Pointer Pier to 32 in the renamed Claxton Bay.
02:48 "While I am happy for that extra PD because it fits perfectly in the north side of Pointer
02:56 Pier because the area was really Springvale, Springvale is also known as Claxton Bay.
03:03 So it fits nicely in the constituency of Pointer Pier but the name change is what I personally
03:09 as the MP for Pointer Pier have a problem with because there is no justification, logical
03:15 justification for that name change."
03:17 MP Lee's comments were also in keeping with those of opposition leader Kamala Prasad Bissessa
03:22 at the UNC's cottage meeting on Monday night that the proposed name change for Pointer
03:26 Pier is meant to make voters forget about the closure of the state-owned oil refinery
03:31 there when Petrotrain was restructured into Trinidad Petroleum Holdings Limited by the
03:36 government in late 2018.
03:38 "I understand as my view that the name change is very political and even if you wanted to
03:46 do the name change, why not maintain like what you did in the other four and Claxton
03:52 Bay is a great community in the north part of Pointer Pier.
03:57 There's a great community in the south part of Pointer Pier called Marabella and you could
04:01 have said Claxton Bay/Marabella.
04:04 Why would you not include the south side of Pointer Pier which has a big community base
04:11 and a major hub known as Marabella?"
04:15 The recommendations in the EBC's 2024 Review of Constituency Boundaries Report cannot take
04:21 effect until they are approved by Parliament.
04:24 Jule Brown, TV6 News.
04:26 [BLANK_AUDIO]
