Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has rejected leader of the Highway Re-Route Movement Wayne Kublalsingh’s request to meet with her in New York where she is attending a UN General Assembly meeting. Kublalsingh had requested a meeting with the PM to discuss his latest proposal for the Mon Desir to Debe part of the Point Fortin Highway.
Sitting under his tent on Monday, opposite the Office of the Prime Minister in St Clair, Kublalsingh said he believed that in New York he would be able to get a fair hearing with the Prime Minister. But speaking to members of the T&T media in New York yesterday, Persad-Bissessar said the meeting Kublalsingh wanted with her would be an exercise in futility.
Kublalsingh began a second hunger strike last week Wednesday after he said the PM had failed to adhere to the James Armstrong report. The Prime Minister said yesterday there were many issues she had to address in New York including national security issues.
"There is not a spare moment with respect to the activities taking place here in New York. Such a meeting with Mr Kublalsingh would be non-productive. I have already made a decision with respect to the matter," Persad-Bissessar added. Hours after he began his hunger strike, Persad-Bissessar wrote Kublalsingh advising him against it and that the Debe to Mon Desir leg of the highway would be constructed.
Earlier at the assembly, the PM said T&T was considering a resolution proposed by the United Nations through its security council that would impose global travel bans on fighters intent on enlisting in overseas wars, and could lead to sanctions on countries that failed or refused to implement the new regime. She said before a final decision was made there was much to be considered, including the possibility of facing such sanctions.
Persad-Bissessar made the comment while fielding questions from members of the local media after addressing the climate change summit held at the United Nation's headquarters in Manhattan, New York, yesterday. "It is a resolution which we are considering and studying. There are many advantages to that particular resolution but we do have some reservations as to implementation and therefore I have forwarded it to security personnel in Trinidad and Tobago and the line minister there.
"We have received some preliminary reports with respect to it. Today (yesterday) we will have some further discussions [among] ourselves with the minister of foreign affairs and my team to decide a way forward," the PM said. She said only members of the UN's security council were entitled to make a decision but non-member states such as T&T could co-sponsor a resolution if there was a specific issue the country wanted compliance with.
"As I said we have not yet made that decision. I was saying to my staff this is going to be one of the important issues to be dealt with given the nature of things in the world with respect to anti-terrorism and therefore we will give full consideration to that resolution, to that action," Persad-Bissessar said. She said there was cause for concern given the rapid spread of ISIS. She added that T&T also faced an attack in the July 1990 attempted coup.
“We have been a victim of that already and therefore as the head of our National Security Council, I think it is incumbent upon me to seriously consider the resolution and to see where we could lend support. United States President Barack Obama is expected to address the issue today.
