Panday slams PoS security lockdown

OPPOSITION Leader Basdeo Panday yesterday slammed Monday’s security lockdown of Port-of-Spain and ac-cused the ruling People’s National Movement (PNM) of being incapable of doing anything “without confusion.” Prime Minister Patrick Manning has asked National Security Minister Howard Chin Lee for a report on the lockdown, reportedly put in place due to a matter in the Port-of-Spain Magistrates’ Court involving Jamaat-al-Muslimeen leader Yasin Abu Bakr. Speaking with reporters at his Port-of-Spain office, Panday declared: “It was atrocious. Our members were late because they told them to park somewhere and when they went to park there, police said they can’t park there. So there was absolute confusion. The PNM can’t open a parliamentary session without confusion, much more run the Parliament.”

Panday called for the immediate appointment of a permanent Police Commissioner and believed that Acting CoP Everald Snaggs “is less likely to feel confident in dealing with crime” because of his current status. The UNC leader blamed the Government for the current state of affairs in the Police Service. Turning to crime, Panday said local businessmen are very concerned with levels of crime in the country and an exodus of businesspeople and capital flight from Trinidad and Tobago is taking place. However, St Augustine MP Winston Dookeran said the UNC had “no official figures” to back up any claims of capital flight. Asked if he expected greater allocation of funds in the 2003/2004 Budget to deal with crime, Panday replied: “I don’t know what to expect from the Government.”  He did not rule out the possibility that “miracles can happen” and was waiting “with baited anticipation” for Monday’s Budget presentation. He hailed a plan by Princes Town businessmen to shut down their operations on Monday in protest of crime in TT and predicted that the population would “close the whole country down” unless Government deals with crime and dissociates itself from the criminal elements.

Panday also said businessmen were concerned about corruption (particularly in the Public Service), the slow rate of business growth in TT, and being omitted from discussions involving the Free Trade Areas of the Americas. He said the Opposition could only make meaningful Budget proposals to the Government under a new constitution. Panday said there has been no attempt by Government to meet with the Opposition regarding the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) and appeared unfazed by the High Court’s dismissal of a case filed by Fyzabad MP Chandresh Sharma on the CCJ. Panday also lamented the freezing of Carlisle Tyre Limited’s assets. Head of the Foreign Used Vehicles Industry (FUVI) Inshan Ishmael claimed that Government has not acted on the group’s recommendations to deal with crime in TT, especially kidnapping. Ishmael claimed that “imported knockdown” cars are the vehicles of choice for kidnappers and the FUVI has written to Transport Minister Franklyn Khan, suggesting that chassis numbers be placed on licence plates as a means of tracking kidnappers. Ishmael also alleged that there were huge discrepancies in tax collection in the Customs and Licensing departments and wants both departments to be merged to deal with this problem.