‘Scandalous but not surprising’

Speaking at his constituency office in Debe Junction, Moonilal said one would have thought the Prime Minister would seek to offer policy solutions to domestic violence.

“There was nothing like that.

He essentially blamed victims that they made a bad choice, as if they were choosing between original and spicy at KFC.

“This really is scandalous but not surprising. It is outrageous and deserves the sternest condemnation because in effect, the Prime Minister appears to be blaming victims for their circumstances.

There is no explanation to rationalise violence against women or children,” Moonilal said.

He added that even before becoming prime minister, Dr Rowley had displayed a lack of sensitivity in addressing complex social problems.

He then challenged Rowley to assume the role of National Security Minister, “instead of gallerying all over the country in a hoax called a National Conversation.” “He should become the leader of National Security and provide leadership to law enforcement agencies.

Not making comments, bouffing up criminals, bouffing up women...that is not fighting crime and that is not leadership,” Moonilal said. He hoped government was not using taxpayer money to fund the ‘Conversations’ series.

AG DEFENDS PM

For his part, Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi stoutly defended Rowley, saying the Prime Minister’s comments were taken out of context. Speaking yesterday after the opening ceremony of the ARIN-CARIB Steering Group Meeting, AG Al-Rawi went so far as to imply that the media had narrowed in on that one particular statement by Rowley, without giving sufficient coverage to everything else the PM said.

“Dr Rowley is known for speaking in a very straightforward and forthright manner. And last night (Monday) I was at the event and Dr Rowley went through the background of the domestic violence issue...people having protection orders and in one case in particular, notwithstanding the court’s assistance and the police assistance for a protection order.

“He then went on to deal with the issue of a person who breached their own protection order and was tragically murdered.

It was after going up to that run to the wicket, that he then said what he had to say. The question that came from the floor had to do with what is government doing about stopping incidences like this,” Al-Rawi said.

But quite frankly, the AG continued, how does the government go into the physical relationship between persons when there’s a protection order, when the police are involved, when the social and probation officers are involved, when the entire family knows of the situation and then the murder is committed? “I think he was speaking to the boundaries and practicalities and that’s the way his comment was actually put.” (Additional reporting by Akilah Holder