Jearlean John: UNC saving Trinidad and Tobago from anarchy

WITHOUT the United National Congress (UNC), championing change and challenging the government, the country would have descended into anarchy.

Addressing those gathered at the location and the 200-plus listening online at UNC’s Monday night virtual meeting, deputy political leader Jearlean John said the UNC is the one thing locally standing between the country and chaos.

“I have come to the firm conclusion that the only institutions or persons standing between us and total anarchy is the UNC, led by Kamla Persad-Bissessar, and the Privy Council. They start to attack, suddenly their eyes are on it with laser focus – but we are not going to allow this bunch of carpetbaggers to get through.”

She added that the UNC has been advocating for the people on several issues, including children, but does not have any power to effect change.

“All we could do is advocate, and we talk about it ad nauseam. Why things that make sense to everybody else, makes no sense to the PNM? Anything that makes sense, makes no sense to them because it does not involve a Cabinet note, inside a Cabinet room, to get something.”

She chastised the government for its handling of remedial classes for which 2,700 of the 9,000 students who scored below 50 per cent in the Secondary Entrance Assessment registered. She said the children need care and attention, which the UNC was giving them before 2015, when the PNM came into power.

“Kamla Persad-Bissessar cares about this country. She cares about the Constitution and we have to say thank God for Kamla and the UNC and the Privy Council. Other than that, this place gone, because every institution has collapsed.”

She said it was unacceptable that so many of the children did not sign up for the classes.

She called on Dr Rowley to address the issues in schools since, according to her, he said they are a gateway to gangs and criminality. She said under the Prime Minister and Education Minister Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly, children are failing, with the government blaming all the woes of the country on covid19.

She also addressed the issue of Cabinet ministers recusing themselves during discussions.

Energy Minister Stuart Young recused himself from Cabinet deliberations 98 times during his seven years in Cabinet. John dubbed him the “Chief Recuser,” as Local Government Minister Faris Al-Rawi recused himself some 58 times during that period.

She took special aim at Young, who recused himself after NCB Financial Group or NCB Merchant Bank (Trinidad and Tobago) Ltd was mentioned, as his brother Angus Young was the managing director of NCB Merchant Bank.

“The PNM Government showed us who they were the first time, the first term. They just don’t care!” she said, adding that the motto of the PNM is “Greed works.”

She said over 200 recusals in the past seven years by different Cabinet members meant there was some sort of back-door deal that allowed them to benefit financially.

She said it is time that people stand up for integrity, and the only way to fix crime and by extension the country is for “this lazy, doltish, immoral government to get out of the way,” since whatever they are doing is not working.

“There is nobody standing (up for the country). Everybody just weighed down by the weight of their pockets. Nobody is standing for the people and for the Constitution and for the rule of law and for hope. Nobody is standing – but they want to kill Kamla because she has the strength to speak out.”