Maroc - NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 22/Jan 19:46

PM: ZOSO opposers 'weak men, weak women'

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar said people who oppose the zone of special operations bill are weak men and women whose only goal appears to be the defence of violent criminals, rather than the victims of violent crimes. In a statement on social media on January 21, Persad-Bissessar said it was amazing how the PNM and pseudo "independent" groups have suddenly found their fake sense of humanity to defend criminals and gangsters. “They say nothing about the crime, robberies, rapes, murders, and brutal home invasions that have plagued the country for the past decade. They also keep quiet about the dehumanising treatment of victims of crime. “They don’t complain about how hard it is for ordinary citizens to live and survive here due to violent crime. But when your government takes measures against violent evil criminals to protect citizens, these weak men and women become experts in what are reasonable measures. “They are so very concerned about the blood thirsty criminals who force themselves into people’s homes. They are experts in race relations and are concerned about speech.” The Prime Minister asked why those opposing the bill did not defend the victims of violent crime. “Victims suffer from depression, anxiety, and constant fear. Victims sometimes commit suicide, families are destroyed, and marriages are broken. Children are left scarred for life. What about the feelings of the victims?” She said the government is here to protect citizens and their families. “There are too many weak men and weak women in positions of influence who do nothing to protect you. Do these weak men and women see and hear you? They don’t see you being forced out of your homes by gangsters. They don’t see you being extorted by criminals so that they won’t burn down your home or business. “They don’t see your children under self-imposed curfew in hotspot areas. They don’t see when your sons are forced to join gangs at gunpoint or be killed for refusing. They don’t see when your wives and daughters are raped and beaten. “They don’t see you when criminals steal your crops and then chop down whatever they don’t steal. They don’t see you when your mental health is being frazzled because of the fear of violent criminals.” Persad-Bissessar said criminals thrive on fear and the government will instil fear in criminals. “Your government sees you and we will always fight for our law-abiding citizens!” In a response on social media on January 22, former prime minister Stuart Young said, “So we have an absent Prime Minister that comes out once in a while for a staged appearance but she ‘bussing heads’, ‘cuffing down’ people, calling professionals ‘boot lickers’ and condoning ‘kill them violently’. Guess she will tweet where gonna be a zone too. Who winning?” Former prime minister Dr Keith Rowley, in a post on Facebook on January 22, said he was proud to have been held to and met a higher standard than Persad-Bissessar, as he would not have been able to say what she said. “If I had said anything nearly as offensive and arrogant as what Kamla recently said, everyone in this country would have known not to accept that from the Prime Minister. “These arguments to justify their dangerous legislation to be promulgated in this uneasy multi-racial, multi-ethnic society is not an appropriate crime fighting tool. To stigmatise communities and removal of the entrenched rights of the law abiding at the behest of officers without Parliamentary oversight is not what one expects from a government that is prepared to do its job of going at the lawbreakers without trampling on those who are law-abiding. “Given the divisive politics and the suspicious nature of so many it may very well turn out that the justification of ‘fighting crime’ might not be enough to manage the fallout when the law is applied. The unsupervised authority will breed abuse and resentment and all that flows.” Approached for comment, independent senator Anthony Vieira said, “I would rather not inflame the situation at this point, I pretty much said what I had to say in the Senate. At the conclusion of the debate, I may be willing to share further reflections.” Other independent senators declined to comment or did not respond to requests for comment. The debate in the Senate began on January 20, continued on January 21 and will resume on January 23. The post PM: ZOSO opposers 'weak men, weak women' appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.