Moonilal: Trindad and Tobago is ‘unpoliced’

With the murders crossing 500, an Opposition MP accused the acting Commissioner of Police Mc Donald Jacob, and the Government of failing to protect people.

Dr Roodal Moonilal bashed Jacob, saying he had collapsed in office.

"I mean no disrespect at all to the office holder, Mr Jacob. I do not know him that well," the Oropouche East MP said.

He spoke on Sunday at the press conference at the Office of the Leader of the Opposition in Port of Spain.

Moonilal said he was left amused earlier in the week when the police put out a statement giving tips on how to drive through a flood. The first tip, Moonilal said, was for people to avoid the flood.

"This is the approach of a very jokey law enforcement agency. The police should spend their time on detection on prevention," Moonilal said.

He cited the double homicide in the Tunapuna cemetery on Saturday as well as the recent rampant cable thefts nationwide.

"It means that the society, for all intents and purposes, is unpoliced."

Moonilal also criticised National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds, demanding that he presents the Government’s policies, ideas, programmes in Parliament.

He said under the Kamla Persad-Bissessar-led administration, there were regular joint patrols nationwide.

"Now is the time we need to co-ordinate between the police and the army to patrol this country to ensure that the criminal elements cannot go freely around with high-powered weapons to rob and kill people," Moonilal said.

"The highest murder rate we have had was in 2008 with 550 murders. Clearly, we would surpass that this year."

He called on the Prime Minister to remove Hinds as a minister "if he has the guts to do it."

Moonilal recalled that last week, the Opposition wrote to Keith Scotland, chairman of the Joint Select Committee (JSC) on National Security, for an emergency meeting to deal with the increasing crime rate.

He said while Scotland agreed to meet, a date was not given.

"We should have met on Saturday or this morning to discuss this matter," Moonilal said.

Moonilal also raised the issue of flooding.

Moonilal added, "In this country today, children cannot get an education because it might rain. This is not a situation where there is a natural disaster. The Education Ministry can close schools and deny our children education because it might rain."

He also referred to a video that went viral on social media with a health-care worker taking a piggyback ride while pushing a patient in a wheelchair in flood waters.

"That has serious implications. We have flood waters in a hospital with medical equipment, millions of dollars in equipment, and sophisticated electrical installations. That is a disaster waiting to happen."

"I congratulate Dr Lackram Bodoe, the party’s shadow minister of health, who raised his voice on this matter very quickly."