Dookeran: PNM Govt lacking knowledge

CORDONING off areas prone to kidnappings and crimes and a regional police servicing were among the plans of action the UNC has promised to institute. This announcement was made yesterday at the party’s launch of its local government campaign and presentation of candidates by Policy and Strategy Officer of the UNC, Dr Roodal Moonilal, delivered proposals from the party’s manifesto to the large festive crowd at Club Screamers Car Park in La Romaine. Moonilal said that unlike the PNM’s vision to “have a brush-cutter in every home”, the UNC was seeking to save the nation from the clutches of crime, discrimination, and poverty. The plan entitled “Ready to Rescue T&T”, Moonilal said, would tackle crime from  the neighbourhood to the national level. According to Moonilal, this plan would be effected on several levels - from educating citizens on law and security to the affiliation and development of international security agencies. He also, on behalf of the party, proposed a stronger police presence to be employed in municipal communities, and that UNC councillors will ensure that municipal police detect and deal with crime. Moonilal accused the PNM of practising “employment apar-theid” with jobs being given to their friends and relatives. “The qualified are being denied job opportunities because of discrimination”, he charged. Moon-ilal said the UNC proposed to establish job centres which will target youths for mobilisation and apprenticeship programmes. In these centres, he said, there would be unemployment specialists who will work with local councillors in securing jobs for the unemployed.

Within the area of health care, Moonilal announced that the UNC would be seeking to link with NGOs for local solutions problems at the community level. St Augustine Member of Parliament Winston Dookeran also fired up the crowd with his tougue-lashings aimed at the PNM. “The reason why we are in this state of depression is because the government is lacking knowledge of what to do. The government has the power, but they don’t have the knowledge. We are witnessing in TT an exercise of raw political power without knowledge to unearth lasting solutions,” said Dookeran as the crowd erupted into thunderous applause. Dookeran added:” Our manifesto has many knowledgeable ideas in the true sense. But the real manifesto is written in our hearts and minds as we try to unite with persons of different class, race, and place of residency”. He remarked that the country was moving into a new political era. “We must reject monolithic parties which equate the party’s interests with the national interests. This is a fundamental mistake and we must stop this now”, he said.