- NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 22/Jul 12:46

Patriotic Front: UNC ‘copying’ PNM on SoE

THE Patriotic Front (PF) says the UNC government is taking the same approach its PNM predecessor did to fighting crime, by declaring a state of emergency (SoE). In a statement a day after the SoE was announced, the PF said, "This is the second SoE in less than a year. The PNM declared one last December. Now the UNC follows suit, citing a co-ordinated threat involving organised criminal networks operating from within correctional facilities." The PF added, "Copying failed PNM measures will never work. Emergency powers are not a crime plan. They are not a strategy." At best, the party continued, a SoE is only a circuit breaker. "Without serious reforms, prison oversight, anti-corruption crackdowns, youth intervention, and real gun control, this (crime) will continue to be our reality, more fear, more headlines, and no way forward." The PF recalled the UNC campaigning heavily on crime in the lead-up to the recent general elections. "The people expect action, not fearmongering and empty promises. The citizens of this country deserve safety, not speeches.They deserve action, not excuses." The PF said the population deserved "a government with the vision and courage to lead, not just repeat." At a news conference on December 30, 2024, then acting attorney general Stuart Young and then national security minister Fitzgerald Hinds said the SoE was called to deal with intelligence from the police about reprisal killings by gangs on a large scale, using illegal high-powered firearms. At that time, then prime minister Dr Keith Rowley dismissed suggestions the SoE's declaration was because government was slow to respond to violent crime. "The government has acted and acted decisively." At the time, then opposition leader (now Prime Minister) Kamla Persad-Bissessar said, "This SoE is a shameless political gimmick, a band-aid in an election year to address the root causes of crime." She added, "This (PNM) government is out of ideas and out of time and is hiding from the violent crime crisis he and his government contributed to over the last ten years. No plans were given for post-SoE." Persad-Bissessar said, "The only way to bring real change and restore safety to Trinidad and Tobago is to vote the UNC into government. She added, "A UNC government has a comprehensible, actionable plan to combat crime. We will not hide. We will not fail. We will act." The UNC won the April 28 general election 26-13-2. The post Patriotic Front: UNC ‘copying’ PNM on SoE appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.