Kamla: Allow non-essentials to work

OPPOSITION leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar is calling on the government to reveal a detailed plan on how soon non-essential workers –who have been at home for almost a month – will return to work.

This plan has to be released as early as next week, she said.

In a release on Thursday, the Opposition Leader said tensions among those whose income has been affected by covid19 restriction are rising and if the Prime Minister doesn’t move quickly and allow those affected to return to work, chaos may occur.

“There is too much suffering in this country. Citizens are desperately worried about where they will get food, how they will pay rent, electricity bills, loan payments, and are distressed over their depleted life savings.

Persad-Bissessar said the prime minister should have used the past five weeks to work with stakeholders to formulate an actual plan.”

She further accused Rowley of misusing the lockdown measures and abusing his office “to promote deceptive PNM propaganda to give an impression to the population that he is doing something to fix the crisis.”

“It is obvious that he is lost. Rowley has used this lockdown as a gimmick to give the appearance of strength and control but has done nothing proactive to get us back to normalcy.

“He is just buying time hoping this crisis will just go away. The population is yet to be informed on what the government’s next step would be. Clearly from the numbers, the lockdown appears to be merely a show of force, to be seen to be doing something, while masking incompetence.

“Citizens are threatened with arrests for stepping outside of their doors to earn an income to feed their children, while we see boats from Venezuela freely entering and leaving our shores during curfew hours, in broad daylight."

She said the Opposition was willing to help the Government formulate a plan if it so wishes. Businesses, trade unions, and all other interested stakeholders should also be invited.

"Whatever the case, our so-called non-essential workers have disproportionately carried the burden during this lockdown. They must be allowed to earn an income to feed their families.”