Manning: Thank UNC for Skelly getting bail

OPPOSITION Leader Basdeo Panday and the UNC must be thanked for the country’s most wanted man being “legitimately” back on the streets, free to conduct his “nefarious activities.”

That was the view expressed yesterday by Prime Minister Patrick Manning at the post-Cabinet news conference at Whitehall. He said if the Opposition had supported the Bail Bill, which proposed that kidnap accused be denied bail, then Sheldon “Skelly” Lovell would not have been able to be back on the streets a day after giving himself up to police. Up to late yesterday evening, though, Lovell remained in jail. Manning said, “It would have been very nice to have the Bail Bill where kidnappers do not get bail.” He said, “We must thank the Honourable Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday” for having Lovell legitimately put back on the streets by the court. “If they had agreed to that (Bill), we would not be in the position we are today. We regret we don’t have an Opposition which sees it that way.”

He said the Opposition had been accused of being irresponsible in the conduct of its affairs on many occasions, and this was one of them. Manning said the magistrate granted Lovell $200,000 bail based on the facts before the court. That is, Lovell’s records showed that he does not have a record “as far as the court is concerned” despite the fact that the “police considered him public enemy number one.” Manning said the police were entitled to believe that, and he agreed with them, “knowing what they know.” Manning, in response to reports that Trinidad and Tobago was deemed “a medium risk” for terrorist attacks, underscored his government’s priority in dealing with national security. He said he was very confident about the “levels of security to which nationals and tourists are exposed,” lamenting that in addition to the “number of announcements made on security, there are many more that have not been said.”

Questioned about the call by the Ken Gordon Committee on Crime for tougher legislation to deal with crime, Manning said he was in full agreement and Government was contemplating the recommendations. He said Government believed that persons held with unlicensed firearms be given “mandatory jail or stiff sentences.” Manning, commenting on the robbery of his Junior Minister Eddie Hart, said that it demonstrated that “none is exempt, the bandits in this country discriminate against none, so it is important for all to come together to fight crime.” He also warned Lovell and others like him who may be contemplating illegal activities that the police were ready to deal with them. On the issue of the increased price of chicken, Manning said it was discussed briefly and Government was looking at the possibility of importing chicken.

On Government not opting to nominate anyone for the three vacant positions on the BWIA board at the recent annual general meeting, Manning said Government simply was not interested in doing so because it did not wish to regain control of the airline. Questioned on the status of the NBN overhaul, Manning said the matter was still before Cabinet and soon a special meeting would be called to deal with it. Asked about the current internal conflict in Venezuela and how it would impact on the recent agreements signed between that country and Trinidad, Manning said he was confident that the agreement entered into would be adhered to.