TWO
popular radio talk-show hosts have reportedly brokered a $100,000
deal with a United National Congress (UNC) financier to do a hatchet
job on the People’s National Movement (PNM) Government and
embattled United National Congress (UNC) Political Leader Winston
Dookeran.
The plan is to target Prime Minister Patrick Manning, National Security
Minister Martin Joseph, Health Minister John Rahael, Sports Minister
Roger Boynes, Works Minister Colm Imbert and other ministers on
a daily basis on their programmes.
Dookeran is also expected to come in for some “heavy jamming”
from the hosts and hand-picked callers.
A reliable source told TnT Mirror that a cantankerous man with strong
CEPEP connections has also been recruited by the devious hosts to
organise callers to slam the government.
However, the CEPEP man is reportedly threatening to expose the plan
because he has not yet shared in the payoff.
The source said one of the talk-show hosts was recently seen collecting
a fat envelope from a top official of the UNC at the Valpark Chinese
Restaurant, Valsayn.
“The meeting was a brief one and as soon as the radio host
collected the envelope, he left,” the source said, adding,
“and he left gladly.”
There is speculation about the contents of the envelope, which the
source said “certainly did not contain UNC membership forms.”
The deal reportedly also involves offering $100 phone cards to the
selected callers, from various parts of the country, to highlight
their ongoing community problems.
Callers from PNM strongholds such as Laventille, Morvant, Maloney,
San Juan, Mayaro, Sangre Grande and other areas in South Trinidad
would keep up a barrage of complaints about rising food prices,
health, water, bad roads, housing, and other critical issues in
bid to dissuade Prime Minister Patrick Manning from calling a snap
election.
“The UNC fears that because of the widening rift in the party
and allegations that Dookeran is operating a parallel UNC organisation,
the PNM may seize the opportunity to call a snap election before
it is constitutionally due next year,” the source declared.
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PM
PATRICK
MANNING
MARTIN JOSEPH
JOHN RAHAEL
ROGER BOYNES
COLM
IMBERT
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He added: “But
if voters are disgruntled and are openly expressing their views
about the poor performance of the government, Manning may think
twice about calling a snap election.
“In the case of Dookeran, the attacks on him by the talk-show
plotters would be designed to show that he does not have leadership
skills in the wake of a current move to get the UNC membership
to kick him out.”
The source said the financier already has at least three Indian
radio stations on the UNC side.
The source also pointed out that the two radio talk-show hosts
are said to be “extremely greedy for money” and “would
do anything for a quick buck.”
He ended: “They are merci-less mercenaries.”
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