- NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 21/Jul 03:21

Padarath: Penny asleep over crime, not Kamla

BARRY PADARATH, Public Utilities Minister and Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister, flatly rejected allegations that Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar was asleep at the helm and alleged it was in fact Opposition Leader Pennelope Beckles who now needed to “change her pyjamas and put on some work clothes.” He spoke to Newsday on July 20 in response to Beckles’ statement the day before where she alleged the PM was asleep in the fight against crime. Beckles had claimed the declaration of a state of emergency (SoE) indicated the government lacked a crime plan, was waving a white flag of surrender, was hiding behind the police service, and was a sign of galloping authoritarianism and an admission of failure, while not addressing the root causes of crime. Padarath said, “Well it seems Mrs Beckles has been asleep for the last ten years. She found no voice at a time when murders sky-rocketed and home invasions sky-rocketed and she sat in a Cabinet as part of a government – five years as a minister and five years as an ambassador – and had not one word to say. “So it appears as though the person who was really asleep is Mrs Beckles, not Mrs Persad-Bissessar.” He said Persad-Bissessar came into office on a large mandate, speaking to the population about crime. “In the instance that we have found ourselves in with respect to the SoE, the police commissioner dealt with the specific situation they have advised the government on. “We have always said we will work with the authorities, based on the advice and based on the data. “Therefore the commissioner has been very clear in articulating the position we have found ourselves in and therefore we have acted based on the advice and the specific circumstances we found ourselves in.” Padarath said Persad-Bissessar was continuing to advance the areas in which the government could offer new laws such as stand your ground legislation, and review the process for issuance of firearm users licences (FULs). He said CoP Allister Guevarro has also spoken about the latter. “We needed a commissioner whom the population could have trust, faith and confidence in. “I think the way the commissioner has been handling the SoE situation and other matters such as the FULs has been restoring that sense of confidence, because the commissioner has not been hiding from these issues.” Saying the former government had said to let the police do their job, Padarath said they must be given the tools to do their job, adding, “And that is the fundamental difference this time around. “Mrs Beckles is looking for relevance at this time, but is the real person who has been asleep inside and outside of the Parliament.” He said when Persad-Bissessar was opposition leader and had brought critical motions to deal with crime brought to Parliament, Beckles had allegedly not contributed to debate. “Mrs Beckles has been asleep since she assumed this position. The de facto (actual) leaders of the opposition are several. You have (Arouca/Lopinot MP) Marvin Gonzales, (Opposition Senator) Faris Al-Rawi and others. But the real person who is asleep at the wheel is Mrs Beckles. “So we will work with the authorities on the advice (of the police), but we are not totally reliant on a state of emergency.” On this latter, he said Persad-Bissessar has articulated fresh legislation and how it will be operationalised. “We are going out for public consultation. She has mandated all members of Parliament of the UNC to ensure we have public consultations in our constituencies. “We came in when the financial year was on its last legs, so a lot of our plans, policies, etcetera, will be rolled out contingent on the finance bill which will come during the budget period in October. So a lot of that is taking place behind the scenes.” He said the PM has been very frontal in articulating her government’s plans. “So I have no intention of dancing to Penny’s tune,” he said, “except to say she needs to be present herself and articulate real issues that impact on people.” Padarath said Beckles had publicly said many things which were in fact unjustified. “We did not just arrive at this situation with respect to home invasions and murders. “She participated in a government that allowed it, and let it fester for the last ten years. “So she really should be apologising to the people of TT for being a silent partner in a government for the last ten years that did nothing to mitigate the crime crisis.” He said in Persad-Bissessar’s short period of two months as PM she had already appointed a police commissioner. “We are giving them the resources that they need. “So it is no just ‘another SoE.’ And that is the point. “We have found ourselves in special circumstances, which the commissioner of police has spoken to. But then you are seeing the operational element. They are telling you what they did, in terms of ensuring they were at different locations, so the policing part of it can be done in a more cohesive manner to ensure they receive the best possible results, to bring down crime.” He said the government provides direction, while the operational aspect is done by the police commissioner. “I really want to give him kudos in terms of the frontal battle that he has taken. We are actually seeing how he intends on utilising the decisions he has made to break up that sort of criminal network in the country that are calling shots from inside of the prison. “So I really want to congratulate the commissioner of police for his out of the box approach and how it has been communicated to the population. “The commissioner operationalised his decision and then he advised the population.” Padarath said Persad-Bissessar has often said we cannot keep doing the same thing over and over, yet expect to get different results. “The population gave us a large mandate and therefore we intend on being responsive to them but also at the same time allowing the commissioner and his team to do what is in the best interest of the population.” The post Padarath: Penny asleep over crime, not Kamla appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.