Khan: PNM feels under siege because of spiralling crime

Although the PNM chairman conceded that as the party hits the road tonight with 39 public meetings being held simultaneously in all 39 constituencies in Trinidad, it feels a bit under siege because of the spiralling crime situation.

He said the budget meetings were partly in response to the criticisms the PNM Government was receiving on the issue of crime.

"If you have ten things to deal with, and nine of them are going good and one is going bad, that should not distract from the positive. And you therefore want people to see the crime situation in the context of everything else," he said. However, Khan acknowledged that for those who are directly affected — the victims of crime — this kind of reasoning would not bring any comfort. "And I respect the feelings of those who have been directly touched by crime," he added.

Khan said crime was an issue of national concern. "The solutions are complex and involved. But I am confident that the National Security Minister, the Prime Minister and the Cabinet are working together to bring about a solution," he said.

Khan said the Government could not give all the details of how it proposed to fight crime. "It is a delicate balance between information and strategy," he said, adding: "When you say too much, people criticise you for telegraphing to the criminals what you are doing. But when you say little, people accuse you of not providing information."

Khan stated that unlike other areas of Government, the National Security Minister could not say when the results of Government’s crime initiatives would bear fruit. "If I were building a bridge, I could say that it would take 18 months once the weather is fine. But on issues of crime, it is hard to predict when the transformation process would take place," he said. He said the transformation involved institutions such as the police, the community, and the economy among others. And, he said, the transformation was a continuing process. "You know the physical infrastructure will improve. But the secret is in bringing strong and credible institutions (such as the police etc), he said.

However, Khan noted that unless people saw an improvement in the crime statistics, they would not feel satisfied that this (transformation) process was on the way. Stating that safety was itself an intangible, he said, "how safe people feel is an individual choice."

Khan said the PNM took the decision last Wednesday that, as a party, it would not participate in the "Death March" because there were certain aspects of the march with which the party’s leadership, as well as the rank and file, were uncomfortable.

However, he that the decision came with the "strong preface" that the party was "extremely concerned" about crime.

Khan laughed when asked if the Budget meetings were the prelude to a snap election. He said people should not read too much into the meetings.