Opposition Leader, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, said the Opposition is ready to deal with any bill objectively and in the best interest of citizens as they prepare for the reopening of Parliament and the 2025 Budget presentation.
Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley, yesterday announced that the new term of Parliament will begin on September 13 and one of the items on the agenda will be the proposed change of the Coat of Arms.
Persad-Bissessar, in a GML interview, said: “Some 427 people have been murdered this year and this man’s concerned with ships. The country wants him to deal with real issues and not intellectually lazy gimmickry.
“He’s desperate to deflect from the violent bloodshed that’s happening all over T&T, the high food prices, high fuel prices, the open borders, property tax, increased water and electricity rates and numerous other issues.
“He’s trying to distract from the fact that his Keith Scotland gimmick appointment has failed. The murder rate and home invasions have increased since Scotland’s appointment. We’ve gone from the ‘coal pot’ into the fire. Had he changed (Fitzgerald) Hinds and appointed competent people in the national security services, he wouldn’t have had to be faking concern today for murder victims. They could have been alive today!”
Persad-Bissessar said Rowley “had no time to properly address crime in the post cabinet media briefing yesterday but had time to “cry about his friends.”
She dismissed Rowley’s accusation that she “lied” on issues concerning Tobago businessman Allan Warner. Persad-Bissessar said it was shameful that Rowley “held an entire press conference under the guise of dealing with T&T’s business when his real purpose was to defend” Warner.