Ish , Steve & The PNM

By Charleen Thomas Newsday

An attorney-at-law, Russell Huggins was a senior partner in the law firm, Pollonais, Blanc, De La Bastide and Jacelon prior to entering politics in 1991, under the Patrick Manning administration. He served as National Security Minister.

Under his stewardship as National Security Minister, an historic march by police officers was staged in which they expressed bitter dissatisfaction with him.

Huggins was demoted in July 1994 when the National Security portfolio was taken over by Manning. However, in November of that year he regained the portfolio. He also served as Social Development Minister.

Huggins after demitting office when the Manning administration was voted out in 1995, established his own law firm.

He has always been a close friend of Brian Kuei Tung, Ish Galbaransingh and Steve Ferguson and he remained a member of the PNM after the 1995 election. Huggins is 50-years-old, has been married for 20 years and is the father of one.

Kuei Tung loves cigars, pan

Prior to entering politics and becoming Finance Minister, Brian Kuei Tung was Managing Director at Algico. He came from an underprivileged family and has been described as a "rootsy" man who loves pan and mas. He is well known for his trademark cigar and "cool attitude".

Kuei Tung like Huggins, also got involved in politics under the 1991 Patrick Manning administration. He resigned as Finance Minister in June 1995, denying there was any fallout between himself and Manning. He said then that he was getting more involved in private business. He was a major shareholder in the Royal Castle chain of fast food outlets. He later sold his shares to Ish Galbaransingh.

Kuei Tung always insisted that he had never taken a vow of poverty. At the time he was referring to adverse comments about him making full use of tax concessions to government ministers. Kuei Tung re-emerged on the political front in late 1995, this time as a member of the UNC Cabinet, serving again as Finance Minister.

Kuei Tung left politics in early 2000. He served last year for a short time as Chairman of the National Carnival Commission (NCC) prior to the return of the PNM to government. Kuei Tung is the father of two.

http://www.trinidadandtobagonews.com/forum/webbbs_config.pl/noframes/read/311

Young Kuei Tung then joined Pannel Fitzpatrick as an apprentice where he studied accountancy for four years. After he qualified as a certified accountant, he joined IBM and was sent to Guyana to set up a new IBM branch there. In 1974 he left IBM to take up a position at Maritime Insurance Company Limited. It was here that he met Mervyn De Souza who introduced him to the PNM, and Steve Ferguson. Nine years later, in 1983 he accepted the post of deputy managing director of American Life General Insurance Company (ALGICO). Within the year he was appointed managing director.

Kuei Tung resigned from ALGICO in 1991. In December that year he was appointed Minister of Trade, Industry and Tourism by the new PNM government.

http://www.iramathur.org/Articles/027_TE07.01.96.htm

Every ill that affecting the society today has its genesis in the PNM, the country cannot progress once the PNM Virus is alive and trying to regain power, the Virus must be completely removed.