Laventille West MP Kareem Marcelle has launched a blistering personal attack on Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, declaring that he will no longer extend the customary respect he once insisted on showing the country’s highest political office.
In an explosive statement, Marcelle described the Prime Minister as an “old, senile, wicked and evil woman drunk with power”, accusing her of insulting his intelligence, his upbringing and the people he represents.
Marcelle explained that when he entered politics, he made a personal commitment to respect the Office of the Prime Minister and its occupant, even when expressing disagreement. He said he had maintained that discipline throughout his 19 months in office but declared that it had now come to an end.
He accused Persad-Bissessar of suggesting that he came from “the gutter”, making a remark about giving him a law book to “kill me”, referring to “swine behaviour” and portraying his community as hateful.
Marcelle characterised the alleged remarks as racist political dog-whistling and accused the Prime Minister of pursuing what he called an apartheid agenda.
Defending his accomplishments, the MP outlined his academic and professional journey, stating that he graduated from the University of the West Indies at 25 with a Bachelor of Laws degree, earning Upper Second Class Honours.
He said he subsequently obtained his Legal Education Certificate from the Hugh Wooding Law School at 27, was called to the Bar at 28, became an alderman at the Port of Spain City Corporation and was elected MP for Laventille West at 30.
Marcelle declared that he neither sought nor needed the Prime Minister’s approval.
The confrontation follows a political dispute surrounding a 33-hour electricity outage in Beetham Gardens after a major fire at TSTT’s Laventille compound on Saturday, October 24.
Marcelle previously alleged that political interference had delayed the restoration of electricity. Public Utilities Minister Barry Padarath rejected that allegation, explaining that the fire had compromised electricity lines and that T&TEC’s actions were necessary to protect public safety.
T&TEC also attributed the disruption to affected power lines and confirmed that electricity was restored on Monday morning.
However, Marcelle maintained that the prolonged outage had caused serious hardship for residents, particularly families whose refrigerated groceries spoiled and small business owners who suffered financial losses.
He questioned why the community had allegedly received inadequate communication during the disruption and accused the Government of disregarding people living north and west of the Lighthouse.
He also rejected any suggestion that he had failed to condemn those responsible for the fire, insisting that his earlier statement had condemned the perpetrators and encouraged residents with information to assist the authorities.
The Prime Minister, in comments reported separately, condemned the alleged actions of a small group involved in the fire while acknowledging that hardworking, law-abiding families in the surrounding communities had also been affected.
Marcelle nevertheless insisted that her reported comments about him and his community were unacceptable.
He described Persad-Bissessar as a “Local Napoleon” and declared that there was more love in Beetham Gardens than in her heart.
The MP concluded by reaffirming his commitment to representing his constituents, insisting that he would continue challenging what he considered injustice regardless of the Prime Minister’s position.
He maintained that his responsibility was to represent Laventille West fearlessly and that political confrontation would not prevent him from doing so.
The allegations of deliberate political interference and racial discrimination remain disputed. The specific remarks Marcelle attributed to the Prime Minister in his latest statement have not all been independently verified.
