Maduro ties dangerous for TT

THE EDITOR: Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro continues to make enemies all over the world with his dictatorship. He has further damaged his reputation throughout the Americas with a collapsed economy that has produced millions of migrants and a burden on other countries to keep them.

In spite of the fact that he did not become President peacefully and fairly through democratic voting, he still surprisingly has friends in the Trinidad and Tobago government. How could a government that boasts about being above corruption, have ties with a dictator? The PNM cannot expect to have any serious credibility if it does not denounce and condemn Maduro's claim to power.

I am ques­tion­ing the re­la­tion­ship be­tween the TT gov­ern­ment and Maduro's regime. Controversially, Min­is­ter of For­eign Af­fairs Den­nis Moses at­tend­ed Maduro’s pres­i­den­tial in­au­gu­ra­tion cer­e­mo­ny. Sev­er­al oth­er coun­tries opt­ed not to recog­nise Maduro’s new term. Why did this government feel the need to accept Maduro's presidency by attending his inauguration?

We live in a country that jails you for stealing a box of Supligen but openly accepts a dictatorship. This government imposes hefty fines and penalties on its citizens for minor breaches of the law, but are best buddies with a narcissistic Maduro.

The Venezuelan president sees himself as a "very special" person but in my opinion he deserves no admiration because he could care less about the feelings and needs of the people he is supposed to be serving. The fact that Keith Rowley and his government choose to acknowledge and have a strong relationship with Maduro says a lot about the PNM administration. "Show me your friends and I will show you your character."

Dr Keith Rowley needs to immediately condemn the means by which Maduro became the President of Venezuela especially in light of the fact that Venezuela's economy has collapsed, the deep humanitarian crisis taking place there presently and the undeniable fact that our main trading partners the EU and the US are opposed to the Maduro regime.

Simon Wright, Chaguanas