Moonilal: Young abusing his office

OROPOUCHE East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal said the Opposition is anxious to speak to Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith on claims made by National Security Minister Stuart Young.

"Some of the assumptions (Young) has made in the public, they are beyond far fetched. And his statements are frightening as far as his own mental health is concerned."

He was speaking with Newsday at the media centre at the Red House, Port of Spain on Friday.

Moonilal was asked to respond to Young's statements that a Joint Select Committee (JSC) meeting on Wednesday he called names and provided evidence to support his claims that certain individuals were getting criminals to commit random shootings to destabilise society. He also said his previous claims about unnamed Opposition members interfacing with the criminal element formed part of his testimony before the committee and his reports were from ongoing police investigations.

Moonilal said the claim was another e-mailgate being perpetrated by the same group of people.

"It is really aimed at tarnishing the names of political opposition and Mr Young has been doing that in the public domain for some time. And it is really a bewildering, scandalous and outlandish attempt at e-mailgate two to taint the name of Opposition members when no member of the Opposition has ever been contacted by the police or is the subject of any ongoing investigation that we are aware of."

He added that no member has been contacted or interviewed on anything concerning the commissioning of any criminal offence.

"And Minister Young is abusing his office to take what he is saying are intelligence reports and reading it in a political environment with political twist."

He said Young would never give members of the public the reports to read it themselves but he is only claiming that he has reports. Moonilal added that he is very eager for the JSC meeting to continue because Opposition members are very eager to interview Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith to clarify certain matters raised by Young.

"I am fortified in my view that the statements made by the minister in relation to the Port of Spain shootings and mayhem and murder and increase in crime, those statements are indeed outlandish, they are reckless, and they tell me that the Minister is abusing his office and agencies of the State in making statements like that. And the statements will be contradicted in the coming days."

Moonilal said Young can "continue his merry way" but he doubted he would gain electorally or politically "because the population has already written them off as being unable to deal with crime." He added that in the event Young suggested that he was involved in some plot with criminal elements or gangs he reiterated that he is willing to take a polygraph test and respond to questions about any ties to criminals.

"Most people who know me knows me as probably one of the most law abiding citizens you could ever find. I don't even litter. My entire life I have never gotten a parking ticket, a speeding ticket or a drunk ticket. So I obey every law."

Asked about Young saying that he was reporting the information because it was important for the public's knowledge Moonilal said the statements were because it is an election year and Government has failed terribly on crime.

"All their policies have failed or have never been implemented. He is possibly the most incompetent minister of national security this country has ever seen. And the only thing left is to scandalise the Opposition and scandalise persons who they believe are strong members of the Opposition and who have stood up to their Government over the last four and a half years."

On Young's statement that he wanted the JSC to be public Moonilal said this was also his wish and that all proceedings would be public.