Kamla: Act on ‘low-hanging fruit’

She held a news briefing yesterday at her office at Charles Street, Port-of-Spain, after the joint talks, accompanied by Couva North MP Ramona Ramdial, Oropouche East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal, and Opposition Senators Wade Mark, Gerald Hadeed and Gerald Ramdeen.

Asked what low-hanging fruits could be addressed soon, Persad- Bissessar said, “More boots on the ground. That could happen tomorrow.” Other low-hanging fruits to curb crime are the proper enactment of legislation already passed by Parliament but not yet proclaimed, such as the DNA Act (to boost crime detection), Electronic Monitoring Act (for electronic tagging of suspects) and Administration of Justice Act (to cut preliminary inquiries from trials).

Persad-Bissessar said the Prison Rules enacted in the 1800s can be updated by Government either using legislation drafted by the former United National Congress regime or by crafting their own amendments.

She thanked the Government for agreeing that the Joint Parliament Committee on National Security be chaired by an Independent senator, instead of a Government MP (Works Minister Fitzgerald Hinds) as now obtains.

The change quite rightly means that the Legislature’s oversight will not be done by an arm of the Executive, she explained.

Persad-Bissessar urged the Government to fulfil a promise in its past People’s National Movement (PNM) manifesto to set up a Joint Border Protection Agency to block the import of illicit guns and drugs through TT’s porous borders. She also urged the establishment of a counter terrorism centre.

Persad-Bissessar called for municipal police units to be established in all of Trinidad’s 14 local government corporations and in the Tobago House of Assembly, but complying with the Privy Council’s ruling that municipal officers be paid on par with officers of the Police Service.

She touched on three ways the Opposition can help the Government.

Firstly, regarding the naming of a Police Commissioner and the management of the Police Service. She said she could detect frustration in the voice of Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley. Noting these rules were drafted by this PNM Government, she said, “I was a bit taken aback by his frustration.” Secondly, on the Strategic Services Agency (SSA) Bill, she said that while her Opposition had not voted for it, it had nonetheless been passed by Parliament but it has not yet been proclaimed, alluding that this is another low-hanging fruit.

Thirdly, she said the Opposition will look at any new anti-gang legislation brought by the Government with a view to supporting it.