The Opposition PNM will be proposing an amendment to the Anti-Gang law to allow for the Director of Public Prosecution's intervention before any citizen is charged under that law.Opposition Leader Keith Rowley revealed this yesterday in his reply to Government's 2011-2012 budget in which the national security secured the largest allocation-$4 billion-of the $54 billion package.Rowley's Budget reply yesterday at the second parliamentary sitting at the new Waterfront Parliament location, was delayed by 80 minutes due to technical difficulties.When he eventually began speaking at 11.27 am, Rowley, slamming the 2012 Budget, said: "The budget speech delivered by the Finance Minister was an elaborate exercise in obfuscation, self-praise and deceit."At times the speech bordered on delusional, or was of such extreme vagueness that one had to struggle to follow exactly what the minister was really saying."The only growth that has taken place is within the Attorney General's department, where $94.5 million is being allocated for paying legal fees," Rowley added.
He said the budget held nothing new, or anything that had not been previously implemented, in response to crime. Though stating that the current state of emergency "has indeed brought some perceived and temporary benefits, in the view of the more careful observer," Rowley added: "It is still our view, however, that there is nothing that was achieved during the state of emergency which was not normal police work."He said another benefit of the emergency was the overall reduction in serious criminal activity."However, it would be foolish and short-sighted to think that this development would be sustained, if we do not put sustainable, meaningful measures in place, in order to convert this temporary benefit to a more long-term trend."We have spent over an extra $100 million in the last six weeks on extra policing. The question is, was this the best way to police the country at that and other cost?"Describing the anti-gang law as "very deliberately draconian legislation," Rowley said the state did not have to put the entire society on pause to protect citizens.
He added: "It has never been our understanding that citizens, whether law-abiding, law-breaker or outright criminal, should be picked up without evidence and in so doing, be denied of the usual protections of the law."He said Government botched the emergency and in some cases, innocent persons may have been arrested; criminals may have been set free and confidence would have been lost in the Police Service.Rowley said when the full effects of the emergency were fully factored into the end of the fourth-quarter, the real decline could be well above two per cent.Saying Government had presented the largest budget in T&T's history, Rowley added:"But this is without identifying any clear revenue generating activities other than increasing fines for certain offences."The minister is congratulating himself for planning to run huge budget deficits without articulating any plan as to how he will raise revenue in the future and when will he return to a balanced budget. The disastrous outcome of this should be clear."
Rowley said: "Indeed the approach set out in the budget is akin to the encounter in 'Alice in Wonderland' between the Alice and the Cheshire cat."When she asks for directions, the cat replies: 'If you don't know where you are going then any road will take you there'," Rowley added. He said: "This group of 29 is leading us over a cliff whilst pretending it is a trip to the promised land."This UNC Government has presided over taking the country from weak positive economic growth into a recession: Rising unemployment; increased national debt and destroyed any semblance of business confidence."Rowley raised questions about Government's promised $3,000 NIS pension.He asked whether that was sustainable in an aging population and at what cost to current and future contributors to the scheme.Rowley expressed concern that Government may dip into the Heritage Stabilisation Fund for expenditure.He said Government had painted itself into a political corner with the property tax and citizens must now monitor that matter closely to ensure that retroactive tax legislation was not enacted.
He said Government's revenue targets, including from VAT, which has declined, would likely not be collected and were "smoke and mirrors."He said Government's failure to pay contractors was continuing to have a crippling effect on the economy.The decline of the energy sector under the PP, he added, was a "national disaster in the making."Rowley said the Opposition was monitoring Government's planned Invaders Bay development, since there had been reports that a developer had procured $2 million in development plans for this property and 19 ministers had favoured it.He said: "It was not long after this the Planning Ministry issued a request for proposals from experienced developers. We await the final outcome of this one. The last time a UNC minister 'gave' the foreshore to a favoured developer, who also spent $2 million preparing a plan for development, a PNM Government stopped it."