UNC: Riot with voting fingers, not fires

In this file photo, a group of young men set fire to debris on Production Drive, Sea Lots on July 4, to protest against the police killing of two teenagers and another young man by police on July 2 in Port of Spain.  - ROGER JACOB
In this file photo, a group of young men set fire to debris on Production Drive, Sea Lots on July 4, to protest against the police killing of two teenagers and another young man by police on July 2 in Port of Spain. - ROGER JACOB

AN Opposition MP and senator have called on the people of TT not to riot with fire and protest but riot with their voting fingers next election.

Saying enough was enough, Opposition Senator Damian Lyder lashed out at National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds who accused unnamed persons of orchestrating and financing the violent protest in Port of Spain last week Monday.

Hinds stopped short of calling names but from the UNC virtual report platform on Monday night, Lyder told him the only riot UNC members will be engaged in is with their voting fingers come next election.

“If you name man, call the name of the person financing it.”

He recalled Hinds’ predecessor Stuart Young offered the same narrative when a similar situation led to the protests, some two years ago, but the alleged culprits were never identified.

“You playing from the same play book of Stuart Young and the Prime Minister changing the narrative and calling for better parenting.”

He said no orchestration or money exchanged hands for people to react, it was because the PNM had failed to commit to providing solutions to fix the problems of the constituency it represents.

“Instead of attending to the needs of the people who voted for the PNM ever since the West Indian Federation collapsed, they are checking to see who caused riots.

“Let me tell you what caused the riots. The people are fed up of poor education. The people are fed up of poor health care. The people are fed up of poor infrastructure, where a cesspit is exposed in the Beetham for months.

“The people are fed up of poor national security when they see questionable killings. And the people are fed up of joblessness when they have no money to feed their families.

“That is why they are rioting. Don’t drop your people under the bus, Rowley. Don’t drop your constituents under the bus, Hinds. Get up, man up. They voted for you. Do your ‘wuk.”

He cautioned Government to observe and heed the political turnaround in Sri Lanka and United Kingdom where leaders were forced to step down when the people joined forces to signal their political dissent.

He called on the Rowley administration to do the country a favour and leave.

In the absence of that, Lyder pledged, “come next general election we will riot with our voting fingers.”

Moruga MP Michelle Benjamin echoed a similar call for citizens to riot with voting fingers next election.

She said her farmers in her constituency were being continuously victimised and side-stepped by Government when they were willing to contribute to the food basket of the nation.

Instead of running to Guyana to talk about agriculture, she said the Prime Minister could have engaged Moruga/Tableland farmers who have the potential to reduce the food import bill and increase export and earn foreign exchange at the same time. “

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"UNC: Riot with voting fingers, not fires"

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