Hosein: National Crime Plan a 'PR stunt'

OPPOSITION Senator Saddam Hosein said the Opposition did not attend Wednesday's launch of the National Crime Prevention Plan (NCPP) because it was a public relations stunt which offered nothing new.

He was speaking during a media conference held at the Office of the Opposition Leader, Port of Spain.

"That PNM crime plan that was unveiled at the Hilton (Wednesday) morning was a PR stunt to the people of Trinidad and Tobago and we as the Opposition will not participate in any PR stunt to fool or hoodwink the citizens of this country."

At the event Communications Minister Stuart Young said he was disappointed by the absence of the Opposition despite having been invited.

Hosein said: "What Minister Young should have indicated is that while the members of the Opposition were not in attendance the feature speaker, the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago Dr Keith Rowley was absent from his own crime plan launch."

He added: "It seems as though that the Prime Minister is not even confident in his own government ability to fight crime in this country."

Young had told the media Rowley could not attend because of urgent business.

At the media conference Hosein said there was nothing new from the crime plan and it was "a complete waste of money, a complete waste of time and a complete waste of an effort to try bring to resolve to the citizens Trinidad and Tobago with an escalating crime rate of over 300 (murders)."

He said while the crime plan was being unveiled a business man in Marabella was robbed outside of a bank and there was a protest because of a shooting in Beetham.

"And the crime continues to escalate on and on. This launch brings no resolve, no comfort or any confidence in the people of Trinidad and Tobago in this Government's ability to fight crime."