Griffith slams Kamla's dismissal of Caricom gun policy

NATIONAL Transformation Alliance (NTA) leader Gary Griffith has condemned Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar for rejecting policy initiative by Caricom to classify certain crimes involving the use of firearms as acts of terrorism.

The Prime Minister outlined this initiative during a news conference in Barbados on February 21 at the end of the 48th regular Caricom heads of government conference.

Dr Rowley said notwithstanding social considerations, regional leaders agreed the changing nature of crime necessitates that certain acts of violence in public spaces, now be regarded as acts of terrorism.

"We are talking here about indiscriminate shootings in the public space where the perpetrators endanger all and sundry."

Rowley said, "In order to address that, we believe that the legislation needs to be cognisant of what exactly we are experiencing now against what the existing legislation anticipated."

Caricom, he continued, has engaged a former Belizean attorney general "to review the legislative templates and to come up with new legislative proposals for consideration by the heads for changes to be made on the legislative side to treat with what we are experiencing against what we are surprised by."

Rowley said many of these crimes are committed with illegal guns and 90 per cent of them come from one source.

Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness supported Rowley. He said the initiative was needed because of the changing nature of criminality in the region.

TT holds the national security portfolio in Caricom's quasi-cabinet.

The conference was Rowley's last as prime minister before he resigns ahead of this year's general election.

In an interview on February 22, Persad-Bissessar described this initiative as "a PR gimmick."

She said should the UNC win the election, it will not implement this initiative to reduce crime.

In a statement on February 23, Griffith reminded Persad-Bissessar she did not object to it in his presence when he raised it at a UNC/NTA town hall meeting last year in St Joseph.

The former police commissioner and national security minister asked, "Was it acceptable to her back then because we were political allies at the time? Is this really how she decides whether to support or reject policy – based purely on political convenience?

The UNC and NTA had an alliance for the 2023 local government elections.

Griffith said Persad-Bissessar’s blatant disregard for this policy is irresponsible and dangerous.

"Classifying indiscriminate shootings with the use of high-powered automatic weapons as an act of terrorism is not about politics. It is about saving lives."

Griffith said the only people who benefit from the rejection of this law are the criminals who terrorise citizens with illegal high-powered weapons.

"This raises serious concerns about who she (Persad-Bissessar) associates with, protects, and defends."

Griffith said Persad-Bissessar's comment mirror her recent "unhinged" criticisms of former US president Joe Biden last month, when Donald Trump was inaugurated as president.

"If Kamla Persad-Bissessar cannot respect Caricom now, how does she intend to work with them if she ever gets into office?"

Griffith said the population must wake up and recognise the dangerous implications of Persad-Bissessar’s rejection of this policy.

"If she cannot support a simple logical crime-fighting measure that would keep weapons of war out of the hands of killers, then she has no business seeking to govern this country."