THURSDAY 5th JUNE, 2025
(Check Against Delivery)
1. Today in cabinet we discussed the following:
2. Request for Approval of the Issuance of an Order made under Section 88D of the Motor
Vehicles and Road Traffic (Amendment) Act, 2017, to suspend and ameliorate the
Application of the Demerit Point System
3. Request for Approval of the Ministry of Education’s July/August 2025 Vacation School
Repair Programme for Schools and other Facilities.
4. Approval to Amend the Income Tax Act, Chap. 75:01, establish Regulations for the
Procedure of the Board of Inland Revenue and other related Matters.
5. Approval for the Invitation of Tenders by the Port Authority of Trinidad and Tobago for
a Suitable Cargo Vessel for Use on the inter-island sea bridge.
6. Purchase of one (1) Non-Intrusive Inspection (NII) Scanner by the Point Lisas
Industrial Port Development Corporation Limited.
7. Approval for the Invitation of Tenders by the Port Authority of Trinidad and Tobago for the Supply, Installation, and Commissioning of Two Non-Intrusive Inspection Cabinet X-Ray Pallet Scanners.
VENEZUELA ACCUSATIONS
8. Regarding the commentary emanating from Venezuelan Government officials about a
paramilitary group entering Venezuela fromTrinidad, I wish to say that we have no
evidence to validate this.
9. I saw a report on today’s newspaper where the Venezuelan Justice Minister, claimed
that a Trinidadian kendel Jheron was supposedly captured in this group.
10. However we have seen no evidence to support the comments from the Venezuela
officials.
11. Further if there is any truth to their comments, the Trinidad and Tobago government
and people have nothing to do with the actions of a few.
12. However I also saw a quote from Mr.Cabello in the Guardian where he vowed to
pursue anyone attempting to destabilize Venezuela. “There must be justice. We are going
after the gangs, wherever they are”.
13. I want to make it clear to the Venezuelan government officials, you can do whatever
you wish on Venezuela territory but Trinidadian territory is off limits.
14. If Mr. Cabellos comments are a veiled threat to enter Trinidadian Territory, I think he
should reconsider his statements.
15. The fact is that as a responsible government we have to take all threats against any
incursion into our territory seriously.
16. I will speak to the Minister of Defence and AG to seek advice on protections for our
coast guard to use deadly force on any unidentified vessel entering Trinidadian waters
from Venezuela smuggling military age able bodied men and women.
17. Following Mr. Maduros and Mr. Cabelloscomments, we
have to now take seriously the threat of the Maduro
government sending their agents into our country to commit acts that can be adverse to
our welfare.
18. Also we will have to take a look at how we go forward with the Venezuelan migrants
here who are military aged and able bodied men and women. We have to take this threat
seriously now.
19. They have done this before, they made similar propaganda comments about Guyana
and Columbia whenever they had interior political problems or elections and then
engaged in border skirmishes and violence.
20. Further I want to tell the Trinidadian drug and human smugglers who are
masquerading as fishermen.
21. If you enter Venezuelan waters to do your illegal acts and are caught by Venezuelan
authorities, you are on your own. Let me repeat that you are on your own. No amount of
family crying on Ian Alleyne’s program will cause us to intervene.
22. Mr. Cabello also alleged US involvement, again throwing out the tired old bogey of
blame the Yankees and he also condemned the treatment of Venezuelans abroad who
have fled their homeland.
23. Now they have started with Trinidad and Tobago. Firstly, Mr. Cabello should ask
himself why Venezuelans are fleeing Venezuela.
24. It’s because of the behavior of his own government and leader.
25. Secondly, no amount of rhetoric from the Maduro government will drive any wedge
between this UNC led Government and the US Government.
26. We stand solidly with the American Government on the issues concerning Venezuela.
27. That will not change.
28. We want no part of the Venezuelan government’s interior political gimmickry.
29. We are peaceful neighbours, let’s leave it at that.
School violence
30. There are online reports that a Form 5 student of the South East Port of Spain
Secondary School is currently warded at the hospital after being viciously attacked by
three schoolmates in a planned and filmed assault.
31. It is reported that the incident occurred on Tuesday, June 3rd, 2025, inside the
school’s bathroom.
32. The teenager suffered a fractured nose, a broken tooth, blood clots in the eyes, and
other injuries to her body during the brutal beating.
33. Video footage of the incident shows the three girls cornering and ambushing the
victim in what appears to have been a premeditated attack.
34. Several other female students were seen recording the incident instead of stepping in
to help.
35. As the beating concluded, one of the attackers delivered two forceful kicks to the
victim’s face, leaving her bleeding from the nose and mouth.
36. Clumps of her hair were seen scattered on the floor as she lay on the ground injured.
37. Other students eventually carried the battered girl out of the washroom.
38. On Wednesday, June 4th, the three suspects and their parents were summoned to a
meeting at the school.
39. All three girls are now facing suspension.
40. I will speak to the minister after we get a full
report
41. The country is fed up with the daily dose of school violence.
42. Going forward we will treat every occurrence of assault or beating as an expellable
offence in schools and an arrestable offence to be put before the courts.
43. I want parents and students to listen very carefully, if your child hits any other child
in secondary school they will be expelled and arrested.
44. Listen carefully, not suspended, expelled and arrested.
45. If someone is 15 years old and robs you or assaults you or extorts you, they are
arrested.
46. However if they do the same thing in a school uniform they are getting a free pass.
47. It doesn’t make sense, that a school uniform is a licence to break the law.
48. This must stop. All acts of school violence must now be referred to the police for
criminal prosecution.
49. Parents need to take responsibility for their children’s behavior, and if they can’t train
them to properly behave in school, then let them stay home and fight. Further if any
parent or student assaults or threatens a principal or teacher, we will expel your child.
50. I am fed up of seeing our principals and teachers abused and threatened by both
students and their parents.
51. We will enforce expulsion rules to the maximum.
52. Additionally all students caught in videos cheering and clapping and egging on the
violence will be suspended because they are also participants.
53. It is time that every act of school violence be reported to the police and that
participants be expelled and prosecuted in the courts.
54. Therefore I am urging all principals, teachers and students to make reports to the
police and forward the reports to your MP’s IF you see no action being taken.
STAND YOUR GROUND
55. The ongoing debate on stand your ground is good.
56. Its assists the public in understanding the issue.
57. However we will go through with it because that is what we promised in our
campaign so that is what we will do.
58. Why should you have to retreat in your own home?
59. Why should you have to decide between defending your family or not defending your
family because you may be prosecuted after.
60. Then there are frivolous arguments about aiming for the criminals foot, leg or hand.
61. That’s unrealistic in home invasion situations.
62. I say to citizens, after stand your ground legislation is passed, if criminals invade
your home, stand your ground for your loved ones,don’t hesitate, send them straight to
the morgue.
Drug and human trafficking
63. Drug and human trafficking is on the increase along the southern and southwestern
areas. There is an increase in female traffickers.
64. Let me be clear, some Venezuelan women are main persons who run the human
trafficking rings.
65. Members of the Venezuelan community are also escorting Trinidadian gang members
from Trinidad to traverse across Venezuela and then enter into Columbia to do direct
illegal business with Cocaine producers.
66. So some Trinidadian gangs are now cutting out the middle men and going straight to
Colombian producers ably facilitated by Venezuelans who have been welcomed into this
country.
67. A lot of these Venezuelans identified in drug trafficking and human trafficking have
registration documents so are therefore here legally.
68. Clearly they have duped the system.
69. We are working on a migrant plan to be rolled out in the coming months.
70. I warned you all before the elections to behave yourselves, yet crime involving
Venezuelans continues to increase.
71. In the interim I am advising Venezuelan migrants who are here to please begin
returning to your country.
Faris al Wari
72. The chief representative of the one percent eat a food in the PNM Faris Al Rawi was
reported in the newspaper as saying to expect six months of terror and warned of firings
in CEPEP and URP etc.
73. He conveniently did not say what they did in the month before and even after the
election.
74. I will let MPs Padarath and Hosein address this.
