CRIME, poverty and the repair and maintenance of roads and other infrastructure are among the chief concerns that several candidates who put in their nomination papers for the local government election intend to address once elected.

Several candidates raised those issues as the key needs of the people of Port of Spain as they applied for candidacy at the OWTU and Communication Workers Union offices on Henry Street on Monday.

UNC candidate for Belmont North and West Chantal Subero said there was a significant amount of unemployment among youths, which she believes is a key contributor to another area of concern for Port of Spain – crime.

“I believe, once I work with my community members, we could create programmes in which young people could filter in,” she said. “When people don’t have jobs or a steady income, they turn to crime. So I think targeting unemployment with youth will be one of the main concerns.”

Progressive Empowerment Party (PEP) representative for Belmont east Felicia Holder said the same problems she addressed in the last local government elections still persist some five years later. But she believes, as her party’s slogan goes, “Phillip will fix it.”

[caption id="attachment_1022951" align="alignnone" width="1024"] PEP Felicia Holder candidate for Belmont East and Fuad Abu Bakr PDP candidate for Belmont North and West at OWTU, Henry Street, Port of Spain, on Monday. - Jeff K. Mayers[/caption]

“Our political leader and our team have been going across TT and fixing things that the Government and Opposition cannot,” she said. “Litter still remains a problem, clogged drains still remain a problem, water still remains a problem, our roads still remain a problem and all this are focused on local government. I plan to be that voice for real change in Belmont east.”

Abu Bakr: More youth needed in politics

Representing the PDP in the Belmont north and east district, Fuad Abu Bakr said that while there are usually a lot of young people putting themselves forward in the local government elections, more youth are needed to bring about change.

“I would like to see younger people having a more substantial role in politics and in party politics in particular,” he said. “The backs of the youths are ridden when you need footsoldiers in districts during the general elections but when it comes to representation you don’t find much young people.”

He said the mindset of young people who were building their lives and full of hope, differed tremendously with older ones who might be comfortable with the way things were.

“In the current climate that TT is in we need significant change that would bring about better conditions.”

He also pointed out the challenges in Port of Spain and in the country as a whole, which included crime, increases in the cost of living, poor infrastructure and unemployment.

“I have been in this for some time and these are the things that I have been speaking about and seen as absolute necessities.”

Subero, 21, said that youths could bring new perspective. She said it