As we celebrate our 54th Independence, we continue to be plagued by crime with over 300 people dead in eight months along with a stagnant economy.
This is attributed to declining oil prices and the last five years of alleged corruption by the People’s Partnership government, which has resulted in increased unemployment and everybody demanding money.
Amidst all of this the Opposition leader is still politicking. You request a meeting with PM Dr Keith Rowley to deal with crime, but days prior to the meeting you playing the blame game, accusing him of the state of crime and telling citizens you care.
When will comedy hour conclude for you and your cabal?
Maybe this recap can refresh your memory
Who changed six ministers of national security; Who disbanded SAUTT?
Who left our borders wide open with the cancelling of the OPVs (which Brazil is successfully using and has ordered more)?
Mr Manning’s plan was to have the OPVs traverse the Caribbean Sea, aimed at assisting not only ourselves but our Caribbean neighbours who are all facing the scourge of the common threat of transnational organised crime.
You ended all this with your parochial thinking.
Who disregarded prison officers, the Defence Force and TTPS, juggling them as you see fit.
While you were politicking, the bandits took advantage of the porous borders and the over 48 entry points.
T&T was left open and guns, people and goods entered this country unabated.
Was it ad-hoc decision-making for political expediency?
You talk about mothers crying. What did you accomplish for women/gender for the five years you were in power?
Your silence was deafening
The crime situation did not begin in September 2015, but politicians, like the proverbial ostrich buried their heads in the sand and left their derrieres exposed.
The current situation we find ourselves in is the culmination of the games successive governments played and continue to play with the citizenry.
My question is when will the citizens wake up and stop the politicking themselves.
We are not unique in this fight, since transnational organised crime is a global phenomenon.
Drug trafficking and gun smuggling is linked to violent crimes and homicides.
We the citizens are tired of the games and politicking.
To address crime we need a concerted effort by all stakeholders to become involved, or else we will continue down this slippery road.
Rossana Glasgow