Moonilal: Trinis shame to carry diplomatic passports

GOVERNMENT MINISTERS and other prominent Trinidad and Tobago nationals are now ashamed to carry diplomatic passports. This was the allegation made by Oropouche MP, Dr Roodal Moonilal, as he launched a full-scale assault on the Government over the discovery of quantities of cocaine in three diplomatic bags last week. Speaking during debate on the Agricultural Census Order 2004 in the House of Representatives yesterday, Moonilal said it was ironic that Government should have introduced the Food and Drugs Amendment 2004 and the Pesticides and Toxic Chemicals Amendment 2004 Bills in Parliament, given recent events. He charged that Government Ministers and other prominent citizens were now ashamed to have diplomatic passports.

“Be careful that (new TT Ambassador for Sport) Brian Lara and (FIFA vice-president) Jack Warner do not return their diplomatic passports, which are stained with cocaine,” Moonilal warned the Government. He wondered whether Government would dispatch emissaries worldwide to do damage control. “On a high?” Opposition Chief Whip Ganga Singh asked. Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday wondered if the Census was “the agricultural link” to last week’s incident. The UNC MP called for the American Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and other independent bodies to investigate the matter. “This points to top officials in the Government,” he declared. Condemning the absence of  an export centre in Debe, Moonilal said Government would not help farmers to market their produce but “you (PNM) will market produce from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”

He charged that Government had destroyed the labour force in agriculture through “CEPEPisation” and wondered why no Census was down before the closure of Caroni (1975) Ltd last year. Moonilal accused Government of lying to former Caroni workers by promising them first preference of Caroni lands for agriculture or housing. He called on Housing Minister, Dr Keith Rowley, to investigate that matter and another land issue involving a former top official of the Point Fortin Borough Corporation.

Moonilal also wondered why the Biche High School remained unoccupied while Palo Seco children were using a tent for their school. “A circus tent!” Siparia MP Kamla Persad-Bissessar added. Moonilal said the “crime wave from the city has now hit the rural areas” and he called on Government to bring a detailed plan for the agricultural sector to Parliament. He also criticised persons who claimed he brought TT into disrepute by writing a letter to Scotland Yard seeking assistance “on another matter.”