Abdulah: Highway murders show need for crime summit

MOVEMENT for Social Justice (MSJ) political leader David Abdulah said the murders of four people in a shooting incident along the Churchill Roosevelt Highway on Wednesday demonstrate the urgency for next month's civil society crime summit.

Abdulah made this comment on Friday, in a statement issued by the People's Roundtable which is hosting the summit on January 9 at the Cipriani Labour College in Valsayn.

Abdulah, who is the convenor of the roundtable, said, "If there was any doubt about the imperative, importance and urgency of the Civil Society Crime Summit, those doubts should have evaporated on Wednesday with the brazen and brutal murders of four people – including Lana Sahadeo who was killed while in her home by a bullet that came from a high powered gun being fired by one of the criminals who were shooting without any concern for who would be shot.."

He added these murders took place on one of the nation’s busiest highways in the middle of the afternoon on a working day.

Abdulah said, "This is yet another tragedy that, we believe, should move us as a people, as citizens, as civil society, to come together to save our society."

He added, "This will not be a 'talk-shop' or an academic conference but a very participatory activity that will enable the widest possible cross-sections of our society to engage in open and frank conversations and arrive at some consensus on what has to be done."

Abdulah said the outcome of the summit will be the preparation of a "citizens' crime plan."

The roundtable comprises groups such as the Joint Trade Union Movement, Scrap Iron Dealers’ Association, the Farmers’ Union and the Network of NGOs for the Advancement of Women.

When he first announced the staging of this summit at a news conference in San Fernando on November 28, Abdulah said the event will be held in two parts.

The first will be at Cipriani Labour College on January 9. The second will be held at a date, time and venue in Tobago, that will be announced later.

At that time, Abdulah criticised the Government and the Opposition for failing to agree on a bipartisan approach to dealing with crime. Both sides were similarly criticised by criminologists Prof Ramesh Deosaran and Darius Figuera.

In an October 12 letter, the Prime Minister wrote to Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar about scheduling bipartisan crime talks immediately after the budget debate in Parliament.

Dr Rowley proposed several pieces of anti-crime legislation for discussion.

Attorney General Reginald Armour, SC, was nominated as the leader of the Government's team to the talks.

Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister Stuart Young, National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds, Housing Minister Camille Robinson-Regis, Public Utilities Minister Marvin Gonzales and Tourism, Culture and the Arts Minister Randall Mitchell are the other members.

On November 3, Armour wrote to Persad-Bissessar asking she nominate her team for the talks.

Persad-Bissessar criticised Rowley for not attending the talks and no UNC team was nominated.

Rowley subsequently criticised the UNC for seeking to score political points and not being serious about addressing crime.

At a news conference on Thursday, UNC deputy political leader Jearlean John reiterated that the party will hold its own anti-crime consultations with the public next year and the Government will not be part of those talks.