Opposition Leader Pennelope Beckles has defended Laventille West MP Kareem Marcelle after he accused the United National Congress-led Government of using the PNM label as a racial slur and being hostile towards Afro-Trinidadians.

Speaking with reporters outside Parliament in Port of Spain yesterday, Beckles said Marcelle’s comments were misinterpreted and that he was conveying the feeling on the ground in his constituency that the Government does not care about them.

‘Conveying the feeling on the ground’: Opposition Leader Pennelope Beckles arrives for yesterday’s sitting of Parliament at the Red House, Port of Spain. —Photo: ISHMAEL SALANDY