Smith: Get ready for licks

UNITED National Congress (UNC) members and all persons opposed to the ruling People’s National Movement (PNM) must prepare themselves for blows when the 2003/2004 Budget fails. This was the warning sounded by Opposition Senator Arnim Smith during his contribution to the Budget debate in the Senate on Wednesday.

Smith alleged that Prime Minister Patrick Manning’s announcement of plans to upgrade the Police Riot Squad, when he (Manning) presented the Budget in the Lower House on October 6, provided clear evidence that the Budget was doomed to fail. The UNC Senator said, “No Budget will do any good if the crime situation is not brought under control,” and slammed the PNM for doing nothing to eliminate rogue elements within the Police Service. The UNC has to date refused to support passage of the Police Service Reform Bills which it agreed to support prior to the 2000 general elections, when it was in Government. The UNC reneged on that promise and since being relegated to the Opposition benches, has consistently refused to support the Bills unless there is constitutional reform in Trinidad and Tobago.