Energy Minister Dr Roodal Moonilal has called on the People’s National Movement to support the extension of the State of Emergency (SoE), as the data has showed “we’re on the right path.”
He dismissed the view that Government is hiding from the public.
“We had a function with 10,000 people. We can walk anywhere, any place, any constituency. I’m sometimes tired turning down invitations to go all over the place. People embrace us and say they’re happy to see us and that we’re doing a wonderful job,” Moonilal said last night during debate on a motion to extend the SoE
“We walk through the malls all the time, Sundays I go for doubles – we go all over.”
Moonilal, who said Police Commissioner Allister Guevarro is the most people-friendly CoP, detailed statistics showing crime dropping by 40 per cent. Moonilal said if Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar hadn’t taken the step she had, T&T would have been run by criminals.
He said the United National Congress’ anti-crime plans included social sector initiatives, working with the T&T Police Service and the Director of Public Prosecutions and strengthening anti-gang laws in a multi-faceted approach.
He said supporters do say they’d like to see greater police presence but they understand what is happening and the UNC listened to people. He said the SoE extension is a step in the right direction.
Opposition MP Stuart Young says people everywhere are talking about the situation and the population is reaching boiling point, youths are frustrated, angry and asking questions that aren’t being answered, including why their rights were suppressed by the UNC.
Speaking after Moonilal, Young noted that even UNC’s Jack Warner has spoken against SoE extension – and referenced the 1990 coup attempt.
Young also pointed out that Government has fired 40,000 vulnerable people, and while the Government was laughing in its Parliament seats, citizens aren’t. He said the Government’s contributions showed that they are completely disconnected from the realities of how people are feeling.
After the AG’s claims, Young asked if the Government felt the “one per cent was going to pull off a coup.”
He noted that out of the UNC’s 14 months in office, nine months have been spent under SoEs – and neither the AG nor Moonilal gave any justification for the SoE extension and the AG gave none for the last SoE either. He said the UNC is using the El Salvador model, where an SoE has been in place since 2022
Young said there has been a failure of the Constitution, as this states the situations where a government should pursue an SoE – war with a foreign state, earthquake/hurricane/flood, infectious diseases or threatened action to endanger public safety – but there has been no justification of any of these situations to warrant an SoE.
He said although parties are being allowed to have gatherings, the type of conditions – who is speaking, how attendees will be there – are astounding. But he said while freedom of expression is curtailed by Government, one of the most frequent social media users is Rural Development Minister Kadijah Ameen.
“I guess she’s lucky that the previous PNM government under an SoE didn’t decide to exercise a preventative detention order,” Young added.
