Members of the public—including People’s National Movement’s Port-of-Spain South constituency officials—began signing a condolence register yesterday for former MP Marlene McDonald, who died last Friday.
The book was placed at the constituency office on Piccadilly Street.
McDonald, a former PNM minister and deputy leader, had been ailing for some time. Funeral arrangements are in the works. PNM officials said yesterday they expect the funeral will be later this week at a venue in Port-of-Spain.
Today (Tuesday), the constituency will do a ceremonial lighting of the streets from each electoral district in the area. Tomorrow (Wednesday), a memorial service will be held at Port-of-Spain City Hall.
Yesterday, the recently formed Women Parliamentarians of Trinidad and Tobago (WPTT) noted McDonald’s passing with great sadness.
A WPTT statement stated McDonald was first elected as the Port-of-South MP in November 2007, and, having won the seat at three consecutive general elections, functioned in that capacity for 13 unbroken years.
The WPTT also cited McDonald’s service in five ministerial portfolios from 2007 to 2019, and her tenure from 2010 to 2015 as the PNM’s Opposition Chief Whip in the House of Representatives.
WPTT stated, “McDonald defined herself as an excellent co-ordinator of her team, leading to effective and productive parliamentary sittings.
“Her term of parliamentary service was defined by her passion for the development of her constituency, and for the women of the country. In one of her last addresses as a Cabinet minister, on the occasion of International Girls in ICT Day 2019, she used that platform to encourage young women and girls to dare to dream, and to ‘take up the challenge of contributing to the country’s development’, to ensure both the representation and participation of women, but also, to redefine how women led ICT can impact how we live, work and play.”
WPTT secretary, former Couva North MP Ramona Ramdial, said, “As an experienced MP and minister, she was always quick to lend advice to the younger women in Parliament. She will be missed by all who knew her.”
McDonald’s passing comes as the WPTT winds down on activities for the 16 days of activism to prevent domestic violence against women and girls.
WPTT president Bridgid Annisette-George (House Speaker), added, “Former member McDonald and I began our terms of service as parliamentarians and members of the Cabinet in November 2007, she as an elected MP and Minister of Community Development, Culture and Gender Affairs, and I, as a Senator and Attorney General.
“Our ministries collaborated to host a workshop on Domestic Violence in December 2008, to coincide with the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights. December 10, 2023, was the 75th anniversary of that declaration. The intended outcome of the workshop was the establishment of a Central Domestic Violence Registry, meant to ‘give teeth’ to the then existing legislation.”