NAR: Leave cops to fight crime

IN A presentation suited more for the political hustings rather than a party’s annual conference, Deputy Political Leader of the National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR), Dr Carson Charles yesterday issued a challenge to National Security Minister, Howard Chin Lee, not to abandon the Police Service in his government’s quest to combat crime. Charles issued the invitation as he addressed the NAR’s 13th Annual Conference at the Seamen and Waterfront Workers Trade Union (SWWTU) when he said “if Chin Lee wishes to redeem himself, now is the time.” He urged the “silent minister who had given up on himself” to launch a comprehensive reformation programme for the police service immediately, instead of going ahead with the Prime Minister’s plan to form an elite group to deal with crime. 

Charging that government’s plan to form a paramilitary group was akin to that of abandoning the Police Service, Charles boasted that during the NAR’s reign they were responsible for taking policemen out of short pants, but that they “cannot take the short pants mentality out of them.” Claiming that TT had once again revisited oppressive times as before, while under this administration, he added that “TT was capable of better” and that the citizens could take the country forward again, if they chose wisely. Charles attributed the increase in crime among the youth to the PNM’s investment in what he termed “special recruitment agencies.” He explained that the PNM were supplying known gang leaders with the necessary funds to entice unemployed young persons to build their empires.

Urging persons present not to fall into the trap of awarding Manning yet another chance, as he had “already squandered this chance,” Charles said Manning was continuing to do “only what he knows to do.” This included Manning’s dream of Vision 2020, “his latest gimmick” in which he intends to take TT forward based on oil and gas. Charles said this route was tried before, but that it had failed. This, he claimed was also done under the PNM’s administration. Adding that this year’s budget presentation had only “set us back on the path to inflation,” Charles concluded that Manning seemed to derive “comfort in the discriminating and intimidating arrest of opposition MPs.” Political Leader of the party, Lennox Sankersingh addressed the party late in the afternoon.