Food cards to lure voters

Social Development Minister CHERRIE-ANN CRICHLOW-COCKBURN

People are saying that the PNM appears to be using the same strategy as the PP government did for the 2015 General Election when voters were bribed with thousands of food cards to vote for the party. It did not work as the PP lost the General Election.

When the PNM government came into power more than 18,000 people were removed from the food card programme because, according to the PNM, they were not eligible for the card. Many of the poor people suffered as a result and many more are suffering still. Now with the coming of the Local Government election later this year and General Election next year, the Social Development Minister Cherrie-Ann Chrichlow Cockburn announced last week that more than 1,137 Food Card recipients have been added to the programme since October last year up to January this year. This, she said, was because of job losses and retrenchment in 2018. Sources say more are to be added to the programme in the coming months before the two elections. The Food Cards denominations are of $510, $750 and $800. But many are saying that the PNM Food Card initiative, just like the PP, is a political ploy to lure voters. People are saying that the PNM and UNC are the same khaki pants.