Panday: TT cuddled terrorists in 2003

WHILE the United States spent 2003 fighting terrorism “with its occupation of Afghanistan and its all out war in Iraq,” the Government of Trinidad and Tobago “openly embraced and cuddled” terrorist elements in this country. This was the declaration from Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday in his New Year’s Day message to the nation. “In a time when terrorism has become the number one challenge, the Government of TT in 2003 openly embraced and cuddled terrorist and criminal elements by empowering them through the award of contracts in CEPEP, NHA, URP and quarrying operations in Valencia,” he said.

During talks in Washington DC with US president George W Bush and US National Security Adviser Condoleeza Rice, Prime Minister Patrick Manning reaffirmed TT’s commitment to the war on terrorism and said TT’s view was that terrorism was closely connected to the drug trade. Manning told Bush that two of TT’s initiatives to fight the drug trade were the acquisition of two offshore patrol vessels to increase the Coast Guard’s strength and the establishment of a high-tech, coastal radar system similar to one currently used by the Israeli military. Security updates this month from the Central Intelligence Agency, US State Department and the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office have detected no terrorist presence or threat in TT despite a heightened state of alert issued by the US Department of Homeland Security on December 21.

The UNC leader predicted murders and kidnappings will continue in TT “at an accelerated pace” and there was little doubt that the nation is in total chaos as a result of the “chronic crime situation.” He charged that 2003 saw “a frightening continuation of PNM policies of rank discrimination and nepotism” and highlighted the closure of Caroni (1975) Ltd and policies at COSTAATT and TTIT as two examples of this alleged pattern. Defining crime as the nation’s major challenge in 2004, Panday declared: “The burden of dealing with crime will therefore fall squarely on the shoulders of civic society and civil institutions.”