- NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 26/Aug 04:14

PM’s actions courageous

THE EDITOR: Why is the PNM opposed to the US being in the Caribbean as part of a counter narco-trafficking offensive? We should be grateful that a country of such military might launched a mission in international waters to combat the illegal drug trade wreaking havoc on the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in the region and beyond. Some observers and media outlets have denounced the deployment of naval assets in waters off Venezuela as a threat to sovereignty and the region’s peace. Such a position is naïve at best and dishonest at worst as it denies the existence of a fully entrenched war of drugs, guns, ammunition human trafficking and other illicit activities that continue to shred our society. Further, we must not be misled into believing there was ever impartiality in our foreign affairs with Venezuela under the former administration. One recalls it was Venezuelan vice president Delcy Rodriguez who visited Trinidad at the height of the covid19 pandemic, while the borders were closed to many desperate Trinidadians who remained trapped abroad. And that, as energy minister Stuart Young regularly boarded flights to Venezuela – 13 trips during the period August 2022 to June 2024 alone. Former prime minister Keith Rowley himself showed off his moves while conga-line dancing in Caracas with Nicholas Maduro, president of Venezuela. It is no secret that the former PNM administration found an ally in Venezuela, maintaining cosy relations in full view of the public. In similar vein, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has boldly asserted her support for the latest US narco-terrorism action. “The US government's deployment of military assets into the Caribbean region to destroy the terrorist drug cartels has the full support of the government of TT,” she said. “Due to drugs, human and firearms trafficking, Caribbean countries, and in particular TT, have experienced massive spikes in transnational crime, gang activity, murders, violence and financial crimes.” She went a step further adding that should the Maduro regime launch any attack against Guyana or invades Guyanese territory and a request is made by the American government for access to Trinidadian territory to defend the people of Guyana, her government “will unflinchingly provide them that access.” Regional experts fear this country will face international backlash and become a target in any conflict for openly propagating “Trumpism’ and acting without Caricom consultation. We must commend the Prime Minister for having the courage to make such an unpopular and forceful declaration, independent of any kind of Caricom consensus. Once again, she is demonstrating that this is not the same Kamla Persad-Bissessar from her last term in office. M BROWN Port of Spain The post PM’s actions courageous appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.