PNM group slams UNC

The People’s National Movement’s (PNM) Laventille West constituency executive has slammed the Opposition United National Congress (UNC) for refusing to support the Anti-Gang Bill 2017 last week.

The bill, which needed a three-fifths majority for passage, was defeated when the Opposition voted against it in the House last Thursday.

A three fifths majority in the House means 25 votes. Government and the Opposition have 23 and 18 MPs respectively in the House.

In a statement, constituency chairman Clay Thomas charged that the UNC has once again demonstrated “callous disrespect and reckless disregard” for the safety of the population.

Thomas also described Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s defence of the UNC’s actions as, “lame and vacuous.” According to Thomas, the records of the debate show that Persad-Bissessar had no issue with the legislation itself or its potential efficacy in arresting criminal activity, “which in large part is due to the operation of criminal gangs.”