Candidate promises Maloney ganja industry

INDEPENDENT candidate for Arouca/Maloney and ganja activist Nazma Muller said if elected, she will introduce a ganja industry to the Maloney community.

She told Newsday in a telephone interview Tuesday the most important thing for the constituency is jobs and creation of income for the youths, some of whom would have lost employment due to covid19.

She said her plans included supplying farmers with seeds to create a ganja industry, within the law, in Maloney. She explained that this will create entrepreneurs and there is a huge market for ganja products such as edibles.

“The whole country needs ganja and needs it economically, socially and medically.” Muller said that she would use her connections with the music industry in Jamaica to create synergies in TT and reported that Jamaican reggae band Morgan Heritage has given her permission to use their music in her campaign. She also promised a studio for the performing arts.

“Every night in Maloney the car parks can be used for theatre in the round. Young people have a lot of creative energy but are not trained or guided on that.”

Muller said she covered the arts while working in the media and the power of the arts for people to find themselves cannot be underestimated.

Asked about her campaigning she replied that she has not begun campaigning as yet but was focusing on getting money for her deposit. She explained that her strategy with a low budget was to show her prospective constituents what kind of representation they can expect.

She said in the past few days she has been speaking out on issues including police abuse and the failure of Attorney General to fulfil the promise to have ganja convictions expunged because of “bad law”. She added that the issue of ganja convictions and difficulties in getting jobs affected thousands of young men and a lot of them from Arouca/Maloney. On Wednesday she will be protesting in front of the Hall of Justice on the issue on men on remand for 16 years, an issue that affects families and lives.

Businessman Inshan Ishmael had previously announced his intention to contest the St Augustine constituency as an independent candidate after he was unhappy with the announcement that UNC deputy political leader Khadijah Ameen would be the party’s candidate for the constituency.

On Tuesday Ishmael told Newsday he planned to meet with his family that night and would publicly announce his decision at 8.30 pm. Independent candidate for St Joseph Errol Fabien said that he will begin campaigning after nomination day Friday.

“I have limited resources so cannot spread my campaigning over a wide period. But I will target and do it hard.” He said his campaign will both be on the ground and virtual and he will be incorporating his television station Gayelle.