St Augustine MP: Government waiting to pounce on at-risk youth

ST AUGUSTINE MP Khadijah Ameen has accused Government of neglecting to educate young people but then waiting to pounce upon them when they slip up. She spoke on Friday in the House of Representatives on a private motion hitting the Government's handling of crime.

Ameen began by saying while thousands of citizens and many businesses have been badly hit by crime, Government had failed to use the occasion of the day’s debate to tell citizens their plans to curb crime.

She offered prescriptions, saying the fight against crime includes a hard component, such as putting boots on the ground plus intelligence gathering as done by the former Kamla Persad-Bissessar government, plus a softer side.

She elaborated on the latter. “The provision of opportunity; facilitating local economic activity; giving those vulnerable to criminal activities – at-risk groups – the support required rather than pouncing on them when they fall through the cracks.” Ameen said many at-risk people live in areas which vote PNM.

“The PNM has failed our at-risk youth in this country.”

She said higher education, skills-training and tertiary education all promote prosperity and reduce crime.

A skilled and educated workforce is a pre-requisite for TT’s economic growth, Ameen added.

“The Government is not really doing anything to empower the citizens of this country through education.

“Higher education benefits not just an individual but society as well and contributes to a reduction in crime.”

She said the World Bank said graduates are healthier, more civic-minded and more environmentally-aware, all to the benefit of society.

In contrast, she said the Government has cut training in areas such as technical and vocational skills and tertiary education, to the detriment of at-risk youth whom they were elected to represent. When the at-risk youth falls through the cracks, she said, the Government stands ready to pounce on them.

“You are allowing problems to fester. The Government has failed to articulate a clear strategy when it comes to higher education as a critical element in fighting crime and creating opportunity for those at risk.”

Ameen slammed Government for recently cutting the GATE subsidy for postgraduate education. She said youngsters whose further education was frustrated by a lack of opportunities could well go into criminal activities. Urging a re-think by Government, she said, "Tertiary education, skills training, play a critical role in the reduction of crime."