Opposition Leader Pennelope Beckles has accused the Government of seeking to make it harder for the People’s National Movement to hold political meetings ahead of next year’s local government elections, warning that the Special Operations Bill could be used against them.
Addressing party supporters outside Balisier House yesterday, Beckles urged the PNM to prepare for the polls while scrutinising the Government’s proposed security measures, which she described as “worse than the state of emergency”.
“The PNM, get yourself ready. Next year is local elections. And they want to make it hard for us to have meetings,” she charged.
Beckles questioned the speed with which the Government was pursuing the legislation after the end of the state of emergency, suggesting the timing reflected a deliberate effort to maintain extraordinary powers.
“That is not by accident,” she said. “And as I said last night, this new bill is worse, worse than the state of emergency.”
She also alleged that citizens’ telephone conversations were being monitored and warned supporters to exercise caution when posting on social media.
“Be careful what you say on your phone. Be careful what you’re doing on social media. They’re looking for any excuse. Any excuse to lock you up,” she claimed.
Her warning came alongside a defence of supporters’ contributions towards the construction of the party building where they had gathered, as she referred to court proceedings and questions about its financing.
“They have us in court, they want to know how we build this. Many of you here contributed, the raffles, all those things to make sure that we have this structure and the other one that isn’t finished,” she said.
Calling for solidarity, she declared: “If they touch one of us, they touch all of us.”
The PNM, she said, was celebrating its 70th anniversary this year, and its ability to mobilise supporters at short notice remained a source of strength.
Beckles also pointed to the Opposition’s participation in the parliamentary debate, saying every PNM MP had spoken on the bill.
“They were not prepared for it. They didn’t want all of us to speak,” she claimed. – Otto Carrington
