Kamla unlikely to support ‘pan bill’ in Parliament

Some 427 people have been murdered this year, yet the Prime Minister is concerned with “ships,” says Opposition Leader Kamla Persad Bissessar

“The country wants him to deal with real issues and not intellectually lazy gimmickry,” Persad-Bissessar said yesterday on Government’s plan to bring law to the Parliament to replace the symbols of Christopher Columbus’ three ships on T&T’s Coat of Arms (CoA) with a steelpan symbol.

And UNC MPs Rushton Paray and Dinesh Rambally have also regarded the planned CoA law sceptically.

Their responses came after yesterday’s media briefing where Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley said the recently announced initiative to rework the Coat of Arms will proceed to the Parliament, as the law requires.

“And we’ll see if there’s a majority view of the representatives of the people to do that,” he added.

Rowley said Parliament resumes September 9 and the fifth and final session of the term begins September 13. He detailed bills/motions to be finalised by Parliament – the two Tobago autonomy bills, campaign finance reform legislation, the Election and Boundaries Commission’s boundaries adjustment report and a Salaries Review Commission report.

Asked about UNC’s position on these items, Persad-Bissessar, saying the Opposition is ready for Parliament’s reopening and the 2025 Budget presentation, said, “We’ll deal with any bill objectively and solely based on what’s in the best interest of citizens.”

Asked specifically about the planned bill to change the Coat of Arms, Persad-Bissessar said, “He’s just shamelessly trying to invoke emotionally sensitive ethnic issues for political campaigning. He has nothing to campaign on so he’ll weaponise ethnic issues to race bait and create division to distract from his nine years of failure. It’s the usual low tactics and hollow rhetoric from him by trying to paint anyone who doesn’t support the change as racist.”

She added, “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 briefing 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.

“He has no issue attacking everyone else but pulls out the crybaby act and behaves like a wimp when he and his friends are interrogated. We’re filing the Freedom of Information request as I said.”

She maintained the UNC will also make a report to TTPS’ White Collar Crime Division regarding the mining licence granted to Warner’s son, Keon.

Asked about Rowley’s accusation that some UNC officials’ alleged corruption was the reason Government changed the $100 cotton notes to polymer notes, Persad-Bissessar said, “That’s the normal insane gibberish that he spews when under pressure and clueless as to what to do.”

Persad-Bissessar who’s promised a steelpan factory, didn’t comment on Rowley’s reminder that there’s already one in Diego Martin.

Paray, Rambally sceptical about CoA law

Also contacted yesterday, MP Paray felt the Coat of Arms bill will be presented with simple majority requirements.

“But I will not support it without full participation of the public – consultations on the whole issue of colonialism and the role of their historical significance,” he said.

Paray felt no changes to national signs, symbols, or emblems should be made without the people’s expressed will. He said colonial symbols serve as physical reminders of T&T’s colonial past and while painful, “undeniably shaped our present society.” “Erasing these could result in sanitisation of history, leading future generations to forget struggles that led to freedoms we enjoy,” Paray said.

Paray also felt the focus on removing symbols may also divert attention from more pressing issues facing T&T.

MP Rambally said, “The Prime Minister must have reasons for proceedings with this pointless course of action in the face of crises in so many areas. It’s evident his reason isn’t anchored in concern for people’s very real suffering, from murders and home invasions to infanticide, and human trafficking, and not in the least, a dengue epidemic.

“This is a sign of his complete contempt for the people. ‘Soothe your suffering with a new Coat of Arms’ seems to be his message,” Rambally added.

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