Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley will meet on Thursday to discuss ways to deal with the escalation of crime, particularly in east Port-of-Spain. The two have agreed to collaborate on any amendment or adjustment to existing or new crime laws, they said in a joint statement issued early yesterday. The PM and Rowley met at the Diplomatic Centre, St Ann’s, on Friday at Rowley’s request.
“There was an agreement to implement legislative measures to deal with the issues of gangs, witness protection and witness tampering,” the statement said. “Additionally, it was agreed that the Government and the Opposition will work together to untangle the hurdles which would give effect to the death penalty.” Consideration will also be given to new laws, such as creating a new offence regarding the displacement of residents by criminals.
When they meet on Thursday at the Diplomatic Centre, their talks will focus on “taking immediate responsive action to treat with the causative factors specifically related to problems that have arisen in the last week.” Yesterday morning Rowley visited residents of Duncan Street, accompanied by Port-of-Spain South MP Marlene McDonald, PNM councillors and activists. He shook hands, waved and greeted residents. Many of them complained quietly to him, while some spoke loudly.
Rowley’s visit follows the PM’s visit on Thursday and his meeting with affected residents at his Diego Martin constituency office, all of which were prompted by a spike in killings and shootings associated with gang warfare in the east Port-of-Spain. Last week, after teenagers Niam Antoine and his pregnant cousin Rasheeda Gomez were killed by gunmen, Persad-Bissessar promised a police post would be set up in the area.
“I was very happy that she met me at my request for an urgent meeting,” Rowley said. “We met last night (Friday) and discussed it at length and I want to give you, and the national community, the assurance that the PNM will work closely with the Government of Trinidad and Tobago to focus on these problems and to come up with solutions and the last thing we want is a political divide that stands in the way of solutions to these problems.”
Rowley said there were solutions to the problems and all involved must work together. He said the situation had become unbearable not just for those who live in the area but for those outside as well: “It is a national problem. “The people who live here experience it physically but this is a national pain and it requires understanding the nature of the problem and coming up not just with one action, because these kinds of problems usually have solutions that are not single item solutions.
“The main problem we have here is the quality of the community and by that statement I mean the physical and the human quality.” Rowley said many of the buildings in east Port-of-Spain were old and required “a certain amount of attention.” He said he had a personal interest and “feel” for it because as a former housing minister he had wanted to start programmes to address some of the issues.
He said when people cannot be safe inside of their homes then “we’re getting very close to this phrase of failed state and we want to go as far away as possible from that. “Solutions are available,” he said.