And those high gas prices was just one of the subjects that land activist Nigel Pettillo maligned this morning when he went on a Facebook live rant. It was a full on takedown of the PUP government with special emphasis on Petillo's falling out with Minister of Natural resources, Cordel Hyde.
It's a very different tune than the one Petillo was singing back in April when he told our cameras that he was quote: "grateful for his wonderful relationship with the minister, a man who makes himself available anytime." End quote.
But that relationship has soured and this morning Petillo went live telling the country how Cordel Hyde has let him down. Cherisse Halsall has the story:
This was the moment in 2020 that Cordel Hyde stood in solidarity with Grassroots land activist Nigel Petillo.
The moment when as the deputy party leader of the PUP, he stepped outside the strict party political arena to embrace an activist with a non-traditional approach to land distribution and acquisition.
posted (June 8, 2020)
Hon. Cordel Hyde, National Deputy, PUP
"Whether you want to support Petillo or whether you want to attack Petillo, you can't attack the movement. You can't attack the cause, you can't question the cause."
But now that Hyde is the most powerful man in the Lands Department and the Minister of Natural resources, their relationship has gone from an alliance to an annoyance.
Nigel Petillo, Land Activist
"I have seen over the years that politicians have done us wrong that these governments have done us wrong and I still believed in Cordel Hyde, you dig, that's what bothers me the most because I would have believed that if he got into power they would marry me the government will make sure that the whole idea and everything that I am doing would continue to get pushed for the benefit of the grassroots people."
"I believed in you I trusted you my boy, I thought you were serious dig, but you are just talk my boy, you are just talk like many other politicians, Cordel."
Now, Nigel says the Minister isn't even taking his calls.
Nigel Petillo, Land Activist
"I'm trying to call you i'm trying to link with you to get things done and...You di bav I, you are playing just like lost like the rest of politicians. My brother and I had high respect for Cordel Hyde. I realize now this is how Martin's and Lake I are still how they are because you guys are playing with people."
And while you surely won't see a Facebook post or a statement from Hyde responding - because that's just not his style - this Minister has now been put on blast by a Facebook blowhard and his social media horde - it will be interesting to see how he responds to the political equivalent of a body blow on this core issue of disenchantment from a man whose grassroots campaign has been largely advanced from behind the Hyde's Zinc Fence.
We reached out to Deputy PM Hyde for comment but up until newstime, he had not responded.
