Panday: Police Service collapsing under PNM

THE Police Service has “all but collapsed” under the control of the Patrick Manning government, according to Opposition UNC leader Basdeo Panday, who also said houses built in marginal constituencies by the ruling party must be occupied by homeless persons from within those constituencies. Panday, who was the feature speaker at the UNC’s regular Monday night forum, which rolled into Princes Town, also called for an investigation into the awarding of a National Housing Authority (NHA) contract to a company with no known track record for construction of houses.

Panday was addressing a small crowd at St Julien Presbyterian School, St Julien Village, Princes Town. In a fighting mood, the UNC leader said “political interference” had reduced the Police Service to a level where the “people are now convinced the police are involved in criminal activity.” “The Police Service has all but collapsed. It is now clear there exists a nexus between the PNM political apparatus and certain elements of the Police Service. The frightening thing is the nexus extends to terrorists and persons operating in the criminal underworld,” Panday said. He cited a number of alleged incidents in support of his statements, including the cocaine and missile find at the home of former San Fernando West MP Sadiq Baksh, during the run-up to the 2002 general elections, and the release of Barbadian fishermen caught illegally fishing in Tobago’s territorial waters.   

Referring to the nationwide home construction campaign by the NHA, which he dubbed “house padding” within the so-called marginal constituencies, Panday said the “simple answer” for house padding was to “occupy them.” “The homeless in the area where these houses are being put up must be prepared to occupy those houses when they are finished. That is our answer to house padding, occupy them,” Panday said. He called on both Parliamentarians and UNC-controlled Regional Corporation councillors to “make a list” of deserving persons within their districts and constituencies, “who are without houses.”