OPPOSITION Chief Whip Marvin Gonzales has accused Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar of misleading the public about the former People’s National Movement (PNM) administration’s approach to border security and its relationship with international partners.
Speaking yesterday at a news conference at the Office of the Opposition on Charles Street, Port of Spain, Gonzales criticised recent statements by the Prime Minister concerning the presence of US Navy SEALs in Trinidad and Tobago and claims that the previous administration failed to take advantage of assistance offered by the United States.
According to Gonzales, the country learned ‘for the very first time’ from the Prime Minister and the chairman of the National Security Council that Navy SEALs were operating in Trinidad and Tobago alongside law enforcement and military officials.
Referring to a media report, Gonzales said Persad- Bissessar had claimed that ‘all of this US assistance was on the table for the last PNM administration, but was never taken up. They preferred to leave the borders and airports open for traffickers to flood the country with illegal drugs and weapons.’
Rejecting that assertion, Gonzales said: ‘Nothing could be further from the truth, and it demonstrates once again that the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago is a pathological liar and has no intention to govern this country with truth, with integrity, and with a semblance of respect for the high office that she occupies at this point in time.’ He argued that successive PNM administrations had maintained strong diplomatic and security relationships with the United States, Canada, Caricom nations and the United Kingdom.
‘Since Trinidad and Tobago has become an independent country led by PNM, the PNM has always maintained close diplomatic relationship with our colleagues in the United States, Britain, the Commonwealth, and in the Caribbean to treat with issues of crime, issues of security, intelligence, border security, and all other matters that affect all our peoples,’ Gonzales said.
He also recalled criticism of the People’s Partnership government’s decision to cancel offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) contracts after taking office in 2010.
‘They cancelled the two OPVs…costing the taxpayers of this country over a billion dollars. Those two vessels that were purchased for and on behalf of the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago to protect the integrity of our borders from transnational crimes,’ he said.
Gonzales claimed the cancellation left the country’s borders vulnerable and contradicted the Prime Minister’s current emphasis on border protection. He further claimed that when the PNM returned to office in 2015 and sought to acquire Cape Class patrol vessels from Australia, the United National Congress (UNC) opposed the move.
‘The UNC, led by Kamla Persad-Bissessar, wrote the Australian authorities asking for a criminal investigation into the matter and for the cancellation of that contract,’ Gonzales said.
The PNM chairman also cited the Piarco Airport corruption scandal as evidence of longstanding cooperation between Trinidad and Tobago and the United States. He said information shared by former US President George W Bush with former Prime Minister Patrick Manning contributed to investigations that eventually led to criminal proceedings in both Trinidad and Tobago and the United States.
‘That scandal was exposed. It all started with close collaboration with the United States government and the government of Trinidad and Tobago,’ Gonzales said.
He challenged the Prime Minister to pursue the recovery of monies linked to judgments arising from the matter.
‘Are you prepared as Prime Minister to speak to the United States authorities and recover the billion dollars owed to the taxpayers of Trinidad and Tobago that is affiliated with this Piarco Airport scandal?’ he asked.
Gonzales also pointed to security cooperation during the PNM’s tenure, including engagements with former US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and former US Ambassador Candace Bond.
Quoting Bond following Blinken’s 2023 visit, Gonzales said: ‘Secretary Blinken’s visit demonstrates the importance of Trinidad and Tobago as a partner to the United States and highlights our shared commitment to regional security, energy security, economic growth, and democratic values.’
He added that security cooperation with Washington included training programmes for members of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service and Defence Force, collaboration on anti-crime initiatives and efforts to address the trafficking of illegal firearms from North America into the Caribbean.
Gonzales said discussions were also under way before the 2025 general election regarding the acquisition of five additional vessels with support from the United State
