Episode Transcript
[00:00:01] Speaker A: The best insight, instant feedback, accountability. The all new talk radio Freedom 106.5.
[00:00:08] Speaker B: Good morning to you, ma'.
[00:00:09] Speaker A: Am.
[00:00:10] Speaker B: Welcome to Freedom 106.5 FM. Let's get you to say good morning to my listening audience and identify Pleasant.
[00:00:19] Speaker A: Good morning to 106fm. Good morning to you, the host and good morning to Trinidad and Tobago. I am political leader Nicosi Phillips to Unity of the People based here in Tobago.
[00:00:30] Speaker B: Right, so let's talk about the unity of the people. You all issued a statement following what took place and so forth. What is the Unity of the People's position, Nikosi, on these matters, these geopolitical matters?
[00:00:46] Speaker A: Our position still remains the same based on my participation at the UN for the Commission of the Status of Women and being at the UN opposition remains the same that what Donald Trump, the president of the United States, has done has reached International Criminal Law. It has also reached the UN Charter. And we do not agree and support what was done because as it stands, if Netanyahu, that president is also wanted before the International Criminal Court and Donald Trump is, you know, having him in the country or, you know, having the white children, the same force and power not be used to bring that before the International Criminal Court. We have also seen where he's saying that, you know, it's about the oil, the gas and making jokes about it. So our position remains the same that Trinidad and Tobago should not have been complicit in siding with the US with this dethroning of a sovereign nation or a sovereign president of a sovereign state. Because if they can do that to Venezuela, what can they now do to Trinidad Tobago or any other CARICOM nation? So we are not in support of it. And I will stand strong and firm on it. I am not in support of what was done.
[00:02:16] Speaker B: How was the preparations?
Okay, I will get back to that point in that question.
We have a SOFA agreement in place. Since 2007 under the former Prime Minister PNM, the late Patrick Manning, the US has also been a part of our military training facilities. Over the years. They have lent us military insight. We have sent personnel over to the U.S. we have gotten FBI training, CIA intelligence training and intelligence gathering training. Our military defense force personnel would have received military assistance, but exercises done jointly in training.
So that that continued even though what geopolitically was playing out on the Caribbean seas, it continued to say that our prime minister sided with the US Government to remove a government in Venezuela. I think it's a bit far fetched. I mean, she has always said in the public space that especially when she became prime minister, that she's against narco trafficking and drug trafficking and human, you know, gun smuggling and all these things and human trafficking and all these things. The thing about it is, when we look at brothels in Trinidad and Tobago, we would have seen Venezuelans fleeing from there under the pretense of coming to Trinidad and getting jobs illegitimately and found themselves in a sex trade where they couldn't. They were held prisoner.
You know that the police raided these places and found them.
[00:03:48] Speaker A: That was to the best of my knowledge. Yes.
[00:03:51] Speaker B: I'm just saying. So we continuously, as a government in this country, push back against those things. And that is part and parcel as to why the US made a heavy intervention into the Caribbean Sea to push back against these things.
The prime Minister said that we did not take sides in dethroning the, or toppling the government of Venezuela. She made a statement. She said we had nothing to do with that.
[00:04:17] Speaker A: Okay, so I don't. This is my first.
Okay, so this is my first interview on the radio station. And for me, if anybody knows me, they know that I'm vor and I'm always outspoken and I like to go play and talk bad manners. Now you are saying the prime minister said that. But international news, international media, international response does not say that. And we have to take note that international responses are saying up to this morning. I don't know if I can get the clip. I'll send it for you after that. The prime minister, the guy literally said, the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Mrs. Kamala Passabi says so. And what she's complicit or whatever. Trinidad Tobago government president was the one. They literally said something totally different.
Now the matter is we are not hearing from the prime minister. The prime minister is not addressing the nation and dealing with us one on one and letting us know that. Okay, boom.
Listen, this is my voice. We did not take part in this, but no, we have to listen to international media. Now we have a president of this country. And I had to ask the question, who really is the president?
The President is Mrs. Christine Kangulu, the Honorable President of Trinidad and Tobago, who is also the commander of chief of the armed forces. Where is the president?
The fact of the matter is you have two leaders of our country that are not addressing the nation with such sensitive matters. Now, yes, we don't need to know everything that is on the security level, but at the end of the day, address the people of Trinidad and Tobago and let us know that we are safe. Let us Know what is our position on all of this. But if international news you are hearing Donald Trump literally speaking for our Prime Minister.
So when you are telling me this now, how am I supposed to. I had to laugh because this is. This is far fetched what you're trying to tell me.
[00:06:24] Speaker B: You know it's subject to interpretation and international media houses.
My first guest this morning, Dr. Wayne Kublal Singh described them as imperialists.
They would have a narrative and a perspective based on what they perceive, what they're seeing on the ground.
But I can't go by a perspective or a perception that I believe physically, personally, my personal belief does not lend credibility to what the facts are. And if I do not have evidence to support that our Prime Minister engage in any sort of preparation for attacks against Maduro. How could I put my mouth in gear and say such. We would have continued within a sofa agreement where we allowed military exercises to be conducted gravely visited our shores. Persons felt that that ship was going to be stationed here to attack that war destroyer and that never happened. You know they left.
You are the head of the Tobago what, what the party.
So I mean I am, I am.
[00:07:29] Speaker A: No one of the investor. When you part of the investigation that they were going through. I think one of the commanders they would have asked them about one of the attacks on these vessels and they would have shown evidence that the especially I think that is the one where the two survivors were there and then they attacked. It came from Trinidad and Tobago waters. Did the evidence they were just show that he literally came out. So I need to see that video.
[00:07:57] Speaker B: I need to see you have a video where that attack came from Trinidad and Tobago waters.
[00:08:03] Speaker A: They showed the map, they showed the. They spoke about it. I was literally watching the interview with the guy came out and said it. It is all over social media and it was posted on my page. If I find it, I will send it back to you. And that's what I'm saying to you at the end of the day. You are saying that they are painting a narrative against our Prime Minister. But how can we not believe it when our Prime Minister is not coming to communicate with the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago and man you now I respect my Prime Minister and I respect that she's the Prime Minister but I'm saying to you, you are saying that America the media is painting a picture against her. But how can we defend our Prime Minister when she is not coming to speak to the citizen and let us know okay, listen, we need to back you because you know what you're saying. That's all I'm saying. I'm not against, I'm not against unc. I'm not biased or anything. But the fact of the matter is, without information, we can't make decisions and persons are making assertions and decision and interpretation because we are not hearing from the direct speaker, which is the prime minister.
[00:09:15] Speaker B: You know, I.
All right, I'd leave that point there for the time being.
I do have to agree with you that our prime minister has failed in getting in touch with the citizenry and, you know, having a press conference. Sean Sobers, the honorable Minister Sean Sobers, Minister of Foreign and CARICOM affairs, did speak on behalf of the prime minister and the government saying that we really had no part in this. I mean, I'm looking at.
You have me laughing this morning. Let me take a quick call quickly. Respectfully, good morning to you.
[00:09:46] Speaker C: Good morning, Daisy. I just rejoined your program Again.
There's a point I wanted to emphasize here. When persons were listening to your morning poll this morning and they all started to say, yes, we are supporting what took place in Venezuela. It reminded me of 1919 in Amritsar in India, where the majority of the army were Indian people.
And a general, a white general, told them to fire into the crowd and they massacred in excess of 1500 people in Amritsar. Although they were Indians, they were killing their own Indians. You see, I will tell you something, David, and I want you to listen to this very carefully. Sovereignty is nothing to be trifled with. That is why we established the United nations after World War II, that every nation has its sovereign right.
And when you violate those rights in order to take one man. How many Venezuelans were killed during the attack on Venezuela? We don't know yet. The Cuban President has said 30 of his persons who were working in Venezuela, I think they were in protection of the.
[00:10:54] Speaker B: But I have been looking, right, I have been looking to see where CNN and other credible news will come out.
[00:11:01] Speaker C: In the fullness of time.
[00:11:02] Speaker B: But I am hoping for that because initially, initially, initially, I, I am getting, I, I'm not getting any reports that persons died.
I don't have it.
[00:11:14] Speaker C: Eventually you see the amount of missiles you're seeing on TV flying all over.
Which, which living in Venezuela.
[00:11:22] Speaker B: Listen, which. Yes, where, where, where, where I'm looking. I don't want to put my mouth in gear.
[00:11:27] Speaker C: Well, I am looking also, but I know eventually it will come out.
[00:11:30] Speaker B: Well, good.
[00:11:30] Speaker C: The Cuban government has made a statement that 50 of those persons let the.
[00:11:34] Speaker B: Cuban government release these people now that's the Cuban government saying that.
[00:11:38] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:11:39] Speaker B: Yeah, I haven't seen anything on the international scene, BBC, nobody that is lending.
[00:11:43] Speaker C: Credibility and they'll find out and there'll be a conk by the government that is still in office. They will come and they will tell you how many people were killed. And you kill these people in order to get one man and you say this man is guilty. Well, here what I remember my good friend Colin Powell going to the UN and telling that Satan had weapons of masks, destruction. Look, this is the evidence. We have some yellow cake or something like that, and it turned out to be false. You cannot be a judge in your own cause. You know, David, listen, if the, if the USA felt so much about Maduro, why did it not give it to a secondary nation who has input in the International Criminal Court and let the International criminal make a determination whether he's going to be tried in Accenture or what and determine that to take out one man. It was about the oil, David, the oil resources.
It is just like. Oh, wait a minute. And just like after Columbus when they discovered. Yeah, you know, they came to the natives and they wanted the resources and they wouldn't give it to them and they wiped them.
[00:12:41] Speaker B: Well, here's what.
[00:12:41] Speaker C: All right, all right, all right.
[00:12:43] Speaker B: I have to, I have to pull it here. All right, Eric, I pull it there. I'll pull it there. I'll pull it there. No, no. The thing about it is this man and his wife are now being flown across the Brooklyn Bridge to head to court to face their first charge. The reading of the indictment and what have you this morning, by 12 o' clock today, we would know what's taking place. If there is, Philip, this man is a narco trafficker or there is nothing you had to produce.
I have to go back. I don't want to talk about Saddam because they say no weapons of mass destruction, but Saddam was prosecuted successfully and executed. So what they kill him for? We had to find out, right? What was he executed for? Why was he given the death penalty, you know, and it was for other things. So maybe weapons of mass destruction was one of the indictments on that listing. Because Maduro don't have one indictment. There's several. There's about four or five. So if, if one is struck off and you get convicted of the remaining four. Just saying, you understand? So he uses the analogy of Saddam Hussein and weapons of mass destruction. But Saddam wasn't found innocent. You know, I don't know if ole could find him on the planet anywhere. Eating, drinking a coconut water. He wasn't found innocent. So let's see what unfolds where this is concerned. But I want to ask you, I want to digress a bit as I have you here still. Let's talk a little bit about the elections that's on the horizon. Your preparations, your promises that you intend to keep should you get to the a helm of the tha. Let's talk a little bit about what's taking place on the ground for this January 12th elections.
[00:14:24] Speaker A: Well, unity of the people. I have been using a strategy from since 2020 to now and what I'm going to say now and I know Trinidad don't really know me that much or know about me, but my work speaks for itself and the work of unity of the people under my leadership has spoken for itself.
The constituency of Bukumongplace and Canaan. They know the work that I've done. Now I am not going to make any promises. My promises. Every time I walk around when I promise the people, they ask what you're giving me or what I get to get. The first thing I said, the only thing that I'm going to promise you is good representation.
When if I do I'm elected and I see what I have to work with, what finances I have to work in and the position, then we go from there. In regards to that, I would have also drafted policies, community projects and in projects enough to develop the community of Bukumo Pleasant as it relates to tourism, as it relates to the agricultural sector, as it relates to entrepreneurship, development as it relates to job vacancy and the filling of job positions within the community.
Now I am being very plain talk, bad manners. People are very selfish and people are very politically illiterate to the fact of the truth and political illiterate to the fact of choosing right representation. And I mean money's passing by the fact money's passing, people get bribed everything and I'm not going to be a part of that. I have always let a. A fair campaign, professional campaign and an ethical campaign to deal with issues and solutions for my constituency or anything that I'm going to run for in any election.
While the others would smear each other and make promises. That is not what unity of the people is about.
People on the ground. As I said, I am walking and I'm looking at my constituency of Boukouma Plesant and my manifesto will be launched this week as it relates to the project and proposals and win or lose Nicosi Phillips or political leader to Unity of the people has never lost anything. I've never lost my integrity and my sanity because at the end of the day, with or without a position, I have always done enough for the constituency and persons whoever reached out to me for assistance.
Hands down, they could never said I never answered my call, they could never say I promised that I'm going to do it and I never did it.
So I will continue to do what I'm supposed to do with whatever little resources I have, elected or not.
I am still going to continue to work on my projects, work on my international partnerships that I've been doing at the United nations level and with the NGO Stack and all these persons. But I'm trying to get this position to be elected because I can have a stronger voice in the thc. And also right now we need to break this two party system that is crushing Trinidad and Tobago right now. And it's now happening in Tobago with this two party system. We have seen PDP sell out his own self and other political parties from 30 parties to only four parties. We only have four parties in the race.
While the media's houses are showing three and two and giving light to the two. There are, there are four. There's the idea and there's myself. Unity of the people.
I can say plenty. But at the end of the day my work speaks for itself. When I look at the other candidates for Book of Mount Pleasant, one in the PNM had two chances. You fail because you didn't do anything for the community, you didn't do much for the people. The other one, you jump ship from the PNM to go across to the tqp. You had an opportunity as a young person. You never did one single project, never did anything in the community, nothing whatsoever. And you're on a platform only laughing and making stupid jokes and stuff. That is not what politics supposed to be about.
On the other hand, I have done social programs, I've done food programs, I've done community projects. I've put Trinidad and Tobago on the map at the United nations level and at so many levels. I've done it without any funding, without any support, without any financial help. And the fact that you are looking at person who could have money and who could help you, it's up to the citizens. And this, the final thing I would say is at the end of the day I am glad where I am at today in the political arena and where I'm headed because my work speaks for itself. As I said, I judge myself not by what I have, but what I'm Willing to give, which is my humanity, to care for my citizens. And if they do not want to elect me, I have no problem with that. But when I reciprocate and not answer the calls, not stand out to respond to them, if they want a job, they want a job letter, they want this. You have elected somebody.
Use that time to the person who you elected and let them work for you. I have to stand up now because I've been doing too much.
Just over this Christmas weekend, the 6,000 hampers I've done with the Trinidad and Tobago, I've done it without any finances, without anything. I've done it in past years. I've done 14,000 hours, 20,000 hampers just by begging, just by doing my social initiative program. So unity of the people, it's a new party. It's building.
Win or lose this election for the next five years. After this election, I'm going to take a rest. If I am elected, I have work to do. If not, I'm going to take this five years going forward or going after to build the party even stronger and to come even more better and more powerful for the next five years.
[00:20:21] Speaker B: I want to ask you boldly any promise that you're willing to share with the listening audience.
We already have the TPP saying that $500 for babies to every child.
You make joke that senior citizens you're looking to see if there's any Sarahs and Abrahams there, you know, I want you to give me, I mean, a bold. You said your manifesto will be dropped later this week or early next week. I want a bold statement from you this morning that you know you can deliver within your heart if you get the helm of, of the tha.
If I was to ask you what would that statement or promise or whatever, my word to the people of Tobago, if you vote for me, this I promise I can get done. What would that be?
[00:21:16] Speaker A: The promise would be good representation. And when I say good representation, my constituency of Pleasant Canine. There are three different, as I said, there are three different elements you have to look at. There's an element of tourism, there's an element of agriculture, there's an element of the entrepreneurship part of it. And I can assure you, looking at what needs to be done in those three elements. One, with my international partnership with different countries, different NGOs, I can bring tourism to the community. I can enhance the community projects. For example, bring back the folk theater in Buku Re, establish that. Bring back the cultural groups within Boko, Mount Pleasant and Canaan. We can look at the infrastructural development working alongside the government of Trinidad and Tobago working alongside the thl. Whoever is head I have to partner with because not just winning the seat, I'll be up against persons who are willing, not willing to give funding. But I have my hands can stretch very far and I know what needs to be done within the community of Nukuma Place and Canaan. I am going to get it done. Even though I have to stand up with a piece of paper to say okay good, I need $10,000 tomorrow I'm going to fight for my community and make sure that the community of Pleasant Canaan get what it deserve. It is time we stop this politician about I only want a house for myself, make it but nobody. That's not what my leadership is about. My leadership is about unity of the people and that is what I'm willing to give and willing to give representation. I know it's far fetched but at the end of the day I am giving whatever I can see in front of me. I'm not going to tell you going to get a house and when I go in there I don't have a position to give you a house.
[00:23:06] Speaker B: No.
[00:23:07] Speaker A: When I'm elected and I know what position I hold and I see what I can work with then I can channel into my resources to make sure that the community that I represent and being elected to is the benefits of whatever I have and whatever my hands could stretch with. That's the only promise I can give.
[00:23:25] Speaker B: Nicosi Philip, I want to say thank you very much for your accepting our invitation to be here and I wish you all the best in the upcoming January 12th tha elections.
Just want to make sure and ask you one thing. Right. I heard the promise about betterment for the community of Is it Canaan? You said Bukumong Pleasant Canaan. Right. Bukumong, Pleasant, the roads and all of these things. But just to be clear, would you be giving babies any money even if it's a $200 salve?
[00:23:56] Speaker A: No, I wouldn't be participating in that. Let me tell you something. I do a social program called the Food System Program. Let me tell you briefly what it's about. When we start giving hampers, I said you know what? Let's rehabilitate persons so they can stand on their own.
So when I give a person a hamper I then to ask the team to look at why this person needs a hamper. So what? For example, there was this family in Arima she didn't have. When we look at the house. We went and said, okay, why did the hamper. She didn't have electricity, no running water. When we went to look at where she lived, it was in a deplorable condition. So what I did, I asked the nearest supermarket next to her to take her on and for six months so we could help rehabilitate. So I called some hardware, I said, listen, we need to get this house back up and running. I called somebody from tntec. So we put something back. So we were rehabilitating her, getting them back out. So, you know, since she has been working in a supermarket, she now started the food system program. She's no longer a hamper. The food program is where you put $100 a month and by December you get all a whole two tables filled with food items. So now she's working, her three children return back to school. She has light running water, proper housing and she can stand on the water. She thinks so. That's the kind of process that I like to do.
[00:25:15] Speaker B: So.
[00:25:16] Speaker A: And I said, I am all about rehabilitation. We have to get people out of the dependency of getting under water from th and water from the government. That's not what my leadership is about. It's about putting you to feed yourself. But we are paving the road for you to get that way.
[00:25:33] Speaker B: Well done. And I'm happy to know that corporate Trinidad stood with you when you talk, spoke to the hardware, the supermarkets and so forth. Nikosi, Philip, thank you so much, all the best and have a great day. It's the start of January, back on the working world and best of luck to you in January 12th elections. I look forward to it.
[00:25:50] Speaker A: Thank you so much. I appreciate it very much. I have the call, so that's why.
[00:25:54] Speaker B: That's all right.
Keep it right there, keep it there. Don't bring it. Trinidad. Yeah, all right, take it.
[00:25:59] Speaker A: Nice. Thank you so much. Appreciate you.
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