OPPOSITION LEADER: WHILE THE COUNTRY AWAITS AN OFFICIAL RESPONSE TO MY LETTER TO KEITH ROWLEY, WHERE I OUTLINED PLANS TO SECURE THE CITIZENRY AND ALSO REQUESTED THE ADDITION OF STAKEHOLDERS TO PROPOSED TALKS, I AM HARD-PRESSED TODAY TO SPEAK ON BEHALF OF OUR BESIEGED NATION. THE GOVERNMENT SEEMS TO ERRONEOUSLY BELIEVE THEY HAVE A LICENSE TO DO NOTHING TO REIGN IN THE RUNAWAY VIOLENT CRIME CRISIS UNTIL THE PROPOSED ANTI-CRIME TALKS. I CALL ON THE GOVERNMENT TO IMMEDIATELY IMPLEMENT SOME PRACTICAL ANTI-CRIME INITIATIVES IN THE INTERIM TO STEM THE BLOODSHED AND TERROR.
· Over the past couple of days, there have been multiple ghastly murders, brutal home invasions, shootings, and audacious threats from gangs to harm our courageous police officers.
· The raw reality is that Trinidad and Tobago is in the early throes of anarchy, with unrelenting horrific crimes, a low detection rate, no government crime prevention plans, and an overburdened judicial system leading to social decay.
· A decomposing female body was found dumped, a corpse was discovered down a precipice, people were killed while conducting transactions, an elderly business family was savagely attacked, and a teenager went missing. That is a mere snapshot of the rampant and unchecked violence and disorder.
· While the country awaits an official response to my letter to Keith Rowley, where I outlined plans to secure the citizenry and also requested the addition of stakeholders to proposed talks, I am hard-pressed today to speak on behalf of our besieged nation.
· The government seems to erroneously believe they have a license to do nothing to reign in the runaway violent crime crisis until the proposed anti-crime talks. I call on the government to immediately implement some practical anti-crime initiatives in the interim to stem the bloodshed and terror.
· I urge Rowley to listen to the call of citizens, the business community, and civil society to remove Fitzgerald Hinds as National Security Minister and institute immediate practical measures to protect the citizens from ruthless criminals.
Kamla Persad-Bissessar, SC, MP
Leader of the Opposition
4th October 2023