National Security Minister John Sandy has called on former prime minister Patrick Manning to say who "Mr Big" is, since Manning had claimed to know who it was when he was Prime Minister. "He (Manning) had said he knew who Mr Big was...it would be informative for us if he would share that information," Sandy said, during yesterday's House of Representatives debate on the state of emergency. Piloting a motion on the state of emergency, Sandy brought up the statement Manning had made on "Mr Big" when Manning was PM and he had been speaking about the crime situation.
The call to Manning was among various criticisms of the PNM on the crime situation which Sandy included in his contribution on the state of emergency. Sandy said if the Government had not instituted the state of emergency, the loss of lives and similar consequences which could have occurred would have made the events of 1990 "look like a garden party." "Hard talk is not our strategy, hard action is-Government feels vindicated in taking this step," he added. Sandy read out the President's statement on the reasons for the state of emergency. This noted upsurges in crime and possible reprisals that could flow from gang wars after a $20 million drug bust on August 16.
Sandy said he had received information from intelligence agencies on Sunday August 21 (the day the state of emergency was announced) which prompted him to ask the Prime Minister to call a meeting of the National Security Council. He said an emergency meeting of the Cabinet was also called before the concurrence of the President was sought on the state of emergency. Sandy said there was no way he would have recommended state of emergency as an option if he had not given the matter tremendous thought. He said he had examined the negatives and the positives of the situation.
"The 'What Ifs' and the 'So Whats' that were applicable (and) I remain convinced we prevented a crisis of high proportions," he added. Sandy said if he were in the situation again, he would make the same decision. He said that unlike his predecessor, he did not say the police alone were responsible for solving crime. "I can't blame the police...I take full responsibility," he added. Sandy said the PNM Government had refused to recognise it was losing the war on crime when crimes ranged from between 19,502 and 20,583 since 2006. Saying Manning had admitted meeting Muslimeen leader Yasin Abu Bakr at one point, Sandy also said Manning had said "crime was temporary."
Sandy said the PP did not have breakfasts with community leaders "or even breakfasts plural." He also accused Manning of alienating police by removing soldier and police from his security detail. Defending the Government against allegation of racism and of trying to persecute Afro-Trinidadians in the state of emergency, Sandy said the majority of murder victims and those in prison were of African descent. Noting statistics in both areas, he said 1,668 people of African descent out of a total of 2,307 were murdered since 2006.
"It's people who look like me who are being murdered all the time, people who look like my mother who are weeping and crying for their sons and daughters," Sandy said. "When you see an accused led into court is people like me who hiding from the cameras," he said. "I'm appealing to my brothers and sisters to stop." Sandy said one community leader who was killed in San Juan had left behind 15 children. He said crime had grown to such proportions that daily shoot-outs occurred in some streets like "the Wild West. He said a "mere .003" of the public continued to "harass" citizens and visitors.
Saying his family was not immune from the situation, Sandy added: "Even a relative of mine every Easter weeps for her dear son who was murdered as he was in the wrong place at the wrong time." Since the state of emergency began, Sandy said, criminals had been hiding. "The reduction of crime in the last 12 days is irrefutable," he added. He said almost 1,100 people had been detained, and 366 for gang-related issues with 216 for drug-related matters. Sandy said the Government was walking a fine line which it did not intend to cross regarding the upholding of citizens' rights and possible compromising of national safety. "We will not take any action that is detrimental to the country and the people," Sandy said.
STATS OF AFRO-T&T CITIZENS KILLED
2006-Of 396 murders, 228 people were of African descent.
2007-308 Afro-T&T citizens in 391 murders.
2008-427 in 547 murders.
2009-383 in 506 murders.
2010-320 in 473 murders.
STATS OF AFRO-T&T CITIZENS IN JAIL
2006-Of 2,678 prisoners, 1,532 were of African descent.
2007-Of 2,726, some 1,464 were of African descent.
2008-Of 3,012 prisoners, 1,610 were Afro-T&T citizens.
2009-Of 1,886 some 1,076 were of African descent.
2010-Out of 2,412, some 1,300 were of African descent.
To August 2011-of 1,732, 890 were of African descent.