People's Roundtable presents report to ministers

PEOPLE'S ROUNDTABLE convenor David Abdulah led a delegation to deliver copies of a report to several government ministers on September 12, calling for funding to address a list of social and economic concerns of the group.

The report was titled A Nation in Crisis: When Things Fall Apart the Centre Can’t Hold – Crime and Violence.

He held a briefing outside the Eric Williams Financial Complex before delivering reports to staff to forward to Finance Minister Colm Imbert and Planning Minister Pennelope Beckles-Robinson.

He also promised to deliver copies to other ministers including Education Minister Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly and Minister of National Security Fitzgerald Hinds.

Abdulah said he hoped the Government would make allocations in specific line items in the upcoming national budget so as to fund the remediation of the report's concerns especially crime and violence.

He was joined by Artists Coalition head Rubadiri Victor, Joint Trade Union Movement (JTUM) general secretary Ozzie Warwick and Network of Women's NGOs head Carol Noel.

Abdulah said the report was compiled from discussions held at talks hosted by the group in January which 100 people attended, many representing NGOs and some coming as individuals. Abdulah himself is head of the Movement for Social Justice (MSJ).

The report addressed themes of education, economy, business, communities, creative arts, gender based violence, crime-fighting initiatives, the criminal justice system and white-collar crime/corruption.

Abdulah lamented the recent spate of multiple killings in Trinidad and Tobago as "crazy, sad, tragic, horrendous."

He noted a recent report by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) had said many state measures against violent crime have boomeranged.

Warwick alleged businesses were profit-focused but created tough social conditions for their employees.

Victor hoped more use could be made of community centres, suggested schools be kept open for later times and advocated a mandatory 50 per cent air time for local music to be played on radio stations.

The report, which Abdulah made available to reporters, lamented, “Crime is robbing so many of our people, and especially our youth, of their lives; of citizens of their peace of mind and body; and business-people, farmers and the self-employed of success.”

It quoted the UNODC report's concerns of criminal groups being either localised or transnational, with alienated youths being drawn in by street gangs.