Dear Editor,
In an act that wreaks of total desperation, the Prime Minister of this country has gone crawling to the Leader of the Opposition on his hands and knees, begging for a solution to the crime waves that he and the PNM government created for the past eight years. There has never been an act more pathetic than for a Prime Minister to admit that not only has he been a complete and total failure in his leadership of the Cabinet and National Security apparatus, but also that he is completely bereft of any idea of how to identify the problems, far-less correct them. That said, this pitiful attempt to divert public pressure onto the Opposition by pretending to offer an olive branch in a time of calamity is nothing more than a smoke screen that Keith Rowley hopes will divert attention away from his own role in this catastrophe.
Now if you think that I am being too harsh on the Prime Minister, keep in mind that for the past eight years, he has repeatedly referred to members of the UNC, up to and including the Leader of the Opposition, as criminals, thieves, crooks and corrupt. Keith Rowley has been completely adamant in the past that there was no room in the PNM government for any suggestions of the UNC based on a litany of allegations that he has never been able to prove. In the past year alone he has accused the UNC of theft, sex trafficking, corruption and trying to incite a racial war and yet here we are today where he is writing to the Leader of the Opposition asking for suggestions to combat many of the same crimes that he is alleging they have committed. And it is a testament to the goodwill and commitment of Mrs. Persad Bissessar that after all of these baseless and false accusations made against her in the past, she is still willing to meet and discuss these issues with the Prime Minister if it means that there can be some benefit to the citizens of this nation.
This isn’t to speak of his previous remarks on suggestions made by the UNC in regard to fighting crime. Most recently, as previously mentioned, Dr Rowley has repeatedly stated that Mrs Kamla Persad Bissessar was attempting to spark some sort of racial conflict in this country by simply suggesting that law-abiding citizens be given Firearm User Licenses to protect themselves against criminals. It would therefore be interesting if this recommendation was to be made formally to the Prime Minister upon his request, and whether or not his response would be the same. Because I cannot imagine that Mrs Persad Bissessar wouldn’t include one of her most well-received speaking points in these discussions, and as they are known to Dr Rowley already, we will now see if he sticks to his guns in complete opposition to this notion, but if he does then it begs the question of what is the point of this entire charade.
Let’s not forget that currently, I have an interpretation application before the courts to determine whether or not proper procedures were followed in the extension of Erla Harewood-Christopher as Commissioner of Police. This would be the second time that I have had to file such legal action against the Rowley-led administration for their utter refusal to adhere to the guidelines as set out before them in appointing a Commissioner of Police, and as you may recall the first time didn’t go in their favour. As such, my second recommendation might have been for the Prime Minister to stop interfering in the appointment process and allow the regulative agencies to conduct their affairs as drafted in the legislation.
But the fact of the matter is that the reason that law enforcement agencies have been handicapped in their fight against crime is simply because of the lack of support and proper management by the PNM government. The UNC administration of the past, led by Kamla Persad Bissessar demonstrated that by merely giving the police the proper tools to do their job and by providing the requisite support through legislative and justice reform we were able to see a significant reduction in crimes being committed in this country. As such, knowing this, there are only two recommendations left to be made, which is for Keith Rowley to fire the Minister of National Security and then call a general election and allow the people the ability to elect a government that would be able to correct all of the mistakes that he and the PNM have been making for the past eight years.
Best regards,
Ravi Balgobin Maharaj
Mob: +1 868 476-6181
Email: ravibmaharaj@gmail.com
Skype: ravibmaharaj