Kamla: Coat of Arms change a distraction from real issues

Senior Reporter

anna-lisa.paul@guardian.co.tt

Opposition Leader Kamla Persad Bissessar has again warned the electorate not to be distracted by the “gimmicks” being thrown out by the People’s National Movement to shift focus from the real issues affecting the country.

Speaking at the final United National Congress (UNC) Pre-Budget Consultation in Siparia on Wednesday, she said the hype surrounding proposed changes to the Coat of Arms was a ploy to keep citizens from focusing on rising crime, poor healthcare, lack of educational opportunities, increased unemployment and high food prices.

“I call on the country to get back to the real issues, do not get distracted,” she urged.

“Don’t go down that rabbit hole of ethnic division.”

Commenting on Tuesday’s double murder in Moruga, in which Enrico Guerra, 35, and his five-year-old daughter, Anika, were killed, Persad Bissessar said: “A mother’s lap is a very dangerous place to be right now.”

Anika was sitting on her mother’s lap when the shooting began.

The Opposition Leader also claimed that the Constitution reform exercise might be used by the ruling party to postpone the general election.

“PNM don’t like elections,” she said

Persad-Bissessar renewed the UNC’s call for the PNM to make their suggestions for proportional representation, a two-term limit and a fixed date for elections a reality.

UNC deputy leader Jearlean John also reaffirmed the party’s commitment to equality, as she said all citizens had a right to own their own homes and the well-being of their families. She said the electorate had to get rid of the PNM for them to move forward.

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