Kamla: NSC meeting 'pappyshow' in midst of crime pandemic

Trinidad and Tobago is facing a crime pandemic, and after weeks of silence, Monday’s National Security Council meeting has not yielded anything of substance to solve the scourge, Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar has charged.

From the United National Congress (UNC) virtual platform on Monday night, Persad-Bissessar described the meeting of the NSC, headed by the Prime Minister, and which includes National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds and acting CoP Mc Donald Jacob, as nothing but a “pappyshow” and a “photo op.”

She said she was tired of calling for Hinds's resignation, and agreed with the call of another platform speaker, Chaguanas West MP Dinesh Rambally: “Dissolve the damn Parliament and call the elections now.”

“We are in turmoil. Those charged with protecting and securing citizens have fled. They have gone into hiding in the last couple of weeks. The Prime Minister went totally silent. He went MIA – missing in action – for weeks and then we see today (Monday), posting of photographs on social media to say last week he instructed the meeting to be held.”

She asked, “Why you had to post that last week he instructed the meeting to be held? You know why? It is a total photo op, a pappyshow to make you feel they were working when there was no response over all these weeks – trying to fool us.”

While crime is spiralling out of control and thousands live in fear, she said, government could wait two weeks to speak about security problems, because its members are well secured,

What is sad, she said, is that after the meeting, “nothing of substance” came out. Instead, she said, Hinds's answer was a heightened police presence.

“Heightened police presence? That obviously has not worked for the past seven years.

"Our country is under siege. There are 508 murders (for the year) and counting as we speak. Heaven help us. This is not a cricket score at the Oval. These are murders – 508 – under Rowley. This is not something to celebrate, like a cricket score. This is something we are all in mourning about.

“Over the past days we have been rocked by an alarming surge in homicide – 30 murders in just one week – and not one word from these people. They are totally clueless.”

While more boots on the ground can help, she said boots alone cannot work and suggested a more holistic approach likethe one her government took between 2010 to 2015, when they created opportunities for education and jobs to bring down the high level of crime.

“We created jobs. That is one of the answers. I am not saying because you don’t have a job that gives you a right to be a criminal,” she clarified. “Criminals are more emboldened than ever before. They know the PNM don’t have a clue. They know they won’t be caught and can continue to do their crime. “

She said 2015 manifesto promises to solve crime have not been kept.

“They have no idea how to stop crime. They do not have the political will to stop crime, because they are part of the problem. “

Rambally spoke about the lack of empathy for victims of crime, especially the several children who have been killed in crossfire over the past weeks.

He referred to Hinds's comments about children being in the wrong place at the wrong time and his denial that there was evidence gangs were marking children for death.

“It is the PNM being in government in the wrong place at the wrong time. Do you know what Fitzgerald Hinds said recently? He said murders are increasing because criminals are changing their tactics.

“Well, tonight I want to tell Rowley, the people of this country are also changing their tactics, and they are saying you and your band of failures need to demit office now. The people of this country are saying they want to live in a country with safety and security. They want a government that takes crime seriously.”