Panday: fewer murders when UNC in power

THE United National Congress (UNC) continued on Monday night to criticise Prime Minister Patrick Manning for his Government’s inability to deal with the country’s crime situation for his statement last week that “average citizens” were not affected.

At the UNC’s Monday Night Forum in Guaico, Sangre Grande,  Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday accused Manning of deliberately running  down the Coast Guard to allow his “partners to continue in crime”. Panday alleged that the government was giving its full blessings to the “full fledged Mafia”, while “giving them quarries and contracts in sensitive State Corporations”. Panday also told supporters Manning had turned a blind eye to money laundering activities. He said there were numerous business fronts in the forms of jewelry stores, pharmacies, security firms and debt collecting agencies. Panday said the only way for the country to be free of criminals was by getting rid of the PNM in government.

Referring to murder statistics, Panday said in 2000 when the UNC was in office the murder rate was 84 but as soon at the PNM returned to office the figures went up in 2001 to 150 and in 2002 to 172. Panday said with 100 murders so far for the year, the  statistics demonstrated that the PNM was part of the problem because they were “in bed with the criminals”. Referring to Manning’s statement that Venezuela’s internal conflicts were responsible for the escalating crime problem, Panday said that would be a joke if so many persons were not gunned down. He pointed out that persons in Laventille, Morvant and John John were living in fear and questioned if that was the way they wanted to live. Panday then posed several questions to Manning. How are guns getting into Trinidad, by boat or air? He said BWIA was certainly not responsible and the weapons had to be coming by boat.

Touching on Manning’s claim that average citizens were not affected by the crime, Panday said it was a “sick joke”. He said Jillia Bowen, who was killed at Movie towne was obviously not average, and questioned whether she was above or below average. Panday noted that with “all the crime” government had reduced the allocation to the Ministry of National Security in 2002 by $124.3 million and the Ministry of Education by $62.1 million, while increasing the allocation to the Ministry of Finance by $74 million. He said the increase was to facilitate CEPEP which he renamed “Continuation Employment Painting Every Pebble”. Also speaking on crime was Pointe-a-Pierre MP Gillian Lucky, who took issue with Manning’s statements that average citizens were not affected. Lucky said Manning didn’t seem to understand what was going on and wasn’t properly advised when he spoke of establishing a gun court. She said a similar court failed in Jamaica after it was ruled to be unconstitutional and was banned by the Privy Council. She called for more resources for the police and no compromise in fighting  crime.