[UPDATED] Speaker calls for respect on fishermen issue

Speaker of the House Brigid Annisette-George. Photo by Roger Jacob
Speaker of the House Brigid Annisette-George. Photo by Roger Jacob

IT was supposed to be a debate about improving the national security infrastructure, but in the Parliament chamber yesterday, two members sought to go back and forth on the violent pirate attack, which led to the death of seven Orange Valley fishermen last week.

Speaker Brigid Annisette-George stood and apologised on the “collective behalf” of parliamentarians for how the topic of the fishermen was handled during the debate of the Bail (Amendment) Bill 2019.

The bill was passed with 22 government and 10 opposition MPs voting in favour of the bill which needed a special majority to be passed.

Early in the debate, Couva North MP Ramona Ramdial raised the issue of the fishermen to support her point about a lack of resources impeding the effectiveness of the legislation.

“No amount of legislation will reduce crime or stem the murder rate if the national security divisions do not have resources,” Ramdial said. She further supported her point by saying the Coast Guard response to the death of the fishermen had been delayed because of faulty Coast Guard equipment among other issues.

She said fishermen and families had to pool together to search for the bodies of their relatives, without significant help from the Coast Guard.

“How is no bail going to help,” Ramdial asked.

Hinds, who responded to Ramdial in the debate clarified statements he made on the issue to the media and to defend himself from social media attacks.

He said while he had sent condolences to the fishermen’s families before, his comments were taken out of contxt by Ramdial who he said “led a few headless chickens” to accuse him of saying things he had not.

During Hinds’ contribution, Annisette George stood to call for restraint and respect.

“That tragic incident last week touched all members of the national community. We must have proper respect. All members must be respectful and constrained.

On our collective behalf, I want to extend our apologies and regret for how this is being handled.”

THE ATTACK ON ORANGE VALLEY FISHERMEN

Ten fishermen were attacked by pirates in the Gulf of Paria near Orange Valley, Couva on July 22.

Seven were reported missing, and three survived.

Five bodies were recovered. They were Leslie De Boulet, 62, Shiva Ramdeo, 27, Anand Rampersad, 39, Alex Sooknanan, 18, and Brandon Kissoon, 21. Their funerals took place between July 28-August 1.

The search continues for Justin Kissoon, 19, and Jason Baptiste, 30, who are presumed dead.

The fishermen who escaped this ordeal are Robbie Jaggernath, Brian Seemungal and Danesh Sankar.

This story has been adjusted to include additional details. See original post below.


It was supposed to be a debate about improving the national security infrastructure. Instead, a national debate devolved into a political football match over a tragic and horrifying incident.

In the Parliament chamber, two members sought to go back and forth on the violent pirate attack, which led to the death of seven Orange Valley fishermen last week.

On Wednesday afternoon, Speaker Brigid Annisette-George stood and apologised on the "collective behalf" of parliamentarians for how the topic of the fishermen was handled during debate on the Bail (Amendment) Bill 2019.

Early in the debate Couva North MP Ramona Ramdial raised the issue of the fishermen to support her point about a lack of resources impeding the effectiveness of the legislation.

"No amount of legislation will reduce crime or stem the murder rate if the national security divisions do not have resources," Ramdial said. She further supported her point by saying the Coast Guard response to the death of the fishermen had been delayed because of faulty Coast Guard equipment, among other issues.

Hinds, who responded to Ramdial, clarified statements he made on the issue to the media and to defend himself from social media attacks.

During Hinds' contribution, Annisette-George stood to call for restraint and respect.
"That tragic incident last week touched all members of the national community. We must have proper respect. All members must be respectful and constrained.
On our collective behalf, I want to extend our apologies and regret for how this is being handled."

THE ATTACK ON ORANGE VALLEY FISHERMEN
Ten fishermen were attacked by pirates in the Gulf of Paria near Orange Valley, Couva on July 22.
Seven were reported missing, and three survived.
Five bodies were recovered. They were Leslie De Boulet, 62, Shiva Ramdeo, 27, Anand Rampersad, 39, Alex Sooknanan, 18, and Brandon Kissoon, 21. Their funerals took place between July 28-August 1.
The search continues for Justin Kissoon, 19, and Jason Baptiste, 30, who are presumed dead.
The fishermen who escaped this ordeal are Robbie Jaggernath, Brian Seemungal and Danesh Sankar.

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"[UPDATED] Speaker calls for respect on fishermen issue"

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