An online petition to San Fernando Mayor Junia Regello, to name the street leading to San Fernando Hill in honour of Dr James Lee Wah, is not necessary, the mayor says.
The move by Christian Historical Society president Terrence Honore has left Regrello baffled, since according to the mayor, he has already agreed on it.
He said, “This is not necessary. I spoke to him, we had a discussion. He asked me why we did not name the street by Naparima Bowl after Lee Wah instead of Torrance Mohammed.”
However, he said they agreed that the street leading to San Fernando Hill was appropriate to be named in Lee Wah’s honour because he fought against quarrying activities at the hill.
Regrello said he asked Honore to send him a petition with about 12 names requesting that the street be named after Lee Wah and he received it on June 2.
“This is carded to be tabled before the council next week Tuesday. And there are no residents living on that street so there will be no opposition.”
He said last week when he saw the online petition, he contacted Honore and asked him to take it down because it was reflecting badly on the corporation, especially since they had already agreed to name the street after Lee Wah.
“I want to distance myself from that. That is irresponsible,” the mayor charged.
The online petition, which started with a target of 100 signatures but has been increased to 200, had garnered 101 signatures yesterday.
The petition asking for the street to be named after Lee Wah noted that he had “successfully advocated against the destruction of the San Fernando Hill.”
“He also made a significant contribution to the development of Drama and Theatre Arts in Trinidad and Tobago. He has left a legacy of organisations and achievements that have shaped the history of our beloved city and the nation as a whole. Let’s honour his memory,” it stated.
The petition was signed by 14 people. Lee Wah, founder of the National Drama Association of T&T, died on July 4, 2020. He also co-founded and led several organisations, including the San Fernando Arts Council, San Fernando Drama Guild and the Creative Arts Council. Honore could not be reached for comment on his cellphone.
