THE EDITOR: At the time of writing this letter on May 21, we would have been one week short of a month since the general elections. And while several ministers have set about the task of running the affairs of state diligently, I can't say this is the same for Couva South MP Barry Padarath.
Mere days after the elections, we bore witness to Mr Padarath, in his capacity as Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister, going off on the dilapidated state of several state buildings supposedly earmarked for the prime minister to occupy and run her government.
This was quickly followed by rebuttals from former PNM public administration minister Allyson West and the former prime minister, with the latter posting videos showing the PM's official residence at the time he occupied it earlier this year.
Then, in his capacity as public utilities minister, we had the spectacle of Mr Padarath trading verbal blows with his immediate ministerial predecessor, Marvin Gonzales, over who was to blame for the mismanagement at WASA.
It was akin to a tennis match, in some respects, and made for good viewing and listening by those attuned to bacchanal and commess.
But enough is enough! The elections are over. The PNM lost and its ex-ministers can now only shout loudly at the wind.
It is for the UNC in general, and Mr Padarath in particular, to get down to brass tacks and start doing the work.
He needs to understand there is no need to try and score political points anymore, there is no need to continue a public condemnation of the PNM's almost ten years in office.
Mr Padarath needs to understand – and quickly – that he has been given responsibility for a major ministry that has to do with the country's electricity and water needs.
He also has another portfolio, Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister. And last, but not least, he has a third responsibility as parliamentary representative of the thousands who voted for him, plus those who did not, in the constituency of Couva South.
One would think he would barely have enough time to eat before he gets down to work on overseeing these three responsibilities. Yet since the elections, he has expended time and energy in criticising the then PNM government. As I said earlier, enough!
Get down to work! You and your party made a lot of promises on the platform and now the entire nation expects you and the UNC to perform. Like it or not, you are in charge of our affairs. So work! Manage and get the job done!
He only needs to turn his neck and look higher up the road to Couva North to see how that area's MP, Ms Jearlean John, has conducted herself since the election. She spoke once, in a post-Cabinet press conference and that was it.
Other than that, she has been quietly going about the business of the people in her post as MP and Minister of Works and Infrastructure. So too have the Agriculture Minister Ravi Ratiram and Rural Development Minister Khadijah Ameen.
They have let their work – overseeing the cleaning of watercourses, clearing of drains and general mana
