Stuart Young: Day of rest and reflection a failure

NATIONAL SECURITY Minister Stuart Young said the call by the trade unions for workers to take a day yesterday to rest and reflect was a total failure.

He said from all indications, there were no disruptions and thanked the citizens, “For showing their position to all of those naysayers, including the Opposition.”

He slammed the “unpatriotic behaviour” of Opposition Leader Kamla-Persad Bissessar who closed her offices and encouraged people to stay away from work, as being “irresponsible.”

Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh also congratulated health care workers for putting the care of the sick and vulnerable above everything else.

“Today is a great day for TT. I am proud of TT today. TT matured greatly.”

Both Young and Deyalsingh spoke with reporters at the signing ceremony for the Cooperation Agreement for the Development of a dry-docking facility at La Brea yesterday.

The day also marked the third anniversary of the Dr Keith Rowley-led People’s National Movement in government.

Young said the airports, ports, protective services, Fire Service, Prison Service and Defence Force all operated normally.

He said the TT Electricity Commission, where workers are represented by the OWTU, which initiated the shutdown on its Labour Day platform on June 19, also experienced normal operations.

“All of our services were normal as well, the National Helicopter Services and Caribbean Airlines. The only area that we have seen a decline in, is with our school children.

“We are very disappointed at (TTUTA’s) call for parents not to send their children to school, but everything else is normal.”

He said what was interesting, “is that one of the main criers to come out and rest and reflect, and you would have expected him to be here with his members and his union, Mr Watson Duke (president of the Public Services Association) jumped on a plane yesterday and went to Miami probably to rest and reflect in Miami. The rest of us are here.”

With respect to a reported low turnout at state-owned Petrotrin, which is to be restructured as government moves away from refining, Young said that was not unexpected.

“Because if the ones who have called for it wouldn’t even abide by it, it would have completely failed.

“The government is pleased that citizens have continued to act in the responsible manner that we expect them.”

He denied reports that with the pending closure of the refinery and separation of employees, that soldiers was deployed, in the event of any act of sabotage.

“There is no army deployed at the Petrotrin refinery. National security has been working for the last four weeks. We have a lot of plans in place, but at this stage there is no deployment of any army or the need for the deployment of the Defence Force at Petrotrin or any other facility.”

On a newspaper poll which gave the Prime Minister a rating in the ‘40’s, on his third year of governance, Young said if that poll had been done at the end of this week, the rating would have been higher because there has been a great show of leadership this week.