Renuka Singh
Leader of the United National Congress (UNC) Kamla Persad-Bissessar said her party will not support the new gun legislation in its present form.
Speaking at a UNC local government meeting in Sangre Grande on Monday night, Persad-Bissessar called for amendments to protect innocent citizens before she would support the proposed law.
Persad-Bissessar also took time to pay her respects to Wayne Chance who passed away early on Monday morning.
She said that Chance sought reform for prisoners, unlike the PNM who was seeking to lock up people and throw away the key on the Anti-gun legislation.
“If your child travelling in a maxi, a taxi and there is a gun in that vehicle, your child getting locked up, we saying that cannot be right,” she said.
Persad-Bissessar said the amendment she proposed was that if the person already had a prior conviction, then there should be no bail the second time the person is caught with a weapon.
She said even police officers could spite a person and plant some weapon on or nearby to get them caught.
“I not supporting that. We not passing the present law,” she said.
Persad-Bissessar said that the PNM would be going from “pillar to post” saying that the UNC supported criminals.
According to the new gun law, which was passed in the House back in September, the Government proposed severe penalties on anyone found with illegal firearms.
“They need our votes. If we do not support it in Parliament, the bill would fail,” she said.
She said that the bill sought to impose draconian measures on the people.
“In its present form we are not supporting the bill,” she said.
She said she listened to Rowley criticize her for calling him by his surname and saying she should address him by his full title.
“Well, I tell you, Dr Keith Christopher Rowley, we are coming for you. We are going to vote you out,” Persad-Bissessar said.
She said the whole country was suffering and everyone knew it except the man who insisted people call him by his title.
“But I tell you, I have a set of mothers and fathers because everywhere I go people calling me Kamla. But I am not ashamed of my name, I am Kamla, I am UNC and I am proud,” she said to cheers from the audience.
“You for real? You stand up on a platform and telling people what to call you? Why don’t you tell the people your plan to fight crime, to create jobs for them? Why don’t you tell the people that after four years you have achieved nothing, you are a total failure,” she said.
She said the PNM was getting more and more desperate and listed statements made by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley on the campaign platforms.
Persad-Bissessar said Rowley first said there was a plot to have him killed and when that did not work he brought up the Cambridge Analytica issue and when the county asked ‘who the hell cares’, he is now saying that the UNC plotted to have the author of the book on the Cambridge Analytica issue killed.
“Good Lord. How much more ludicrous could you become? How much more foolish could you be,” she asked.
Persad-Bissessar said that the Commissioner of Police, Gary Griffith was officially looking for author Christopher Wylie and could not locate him.
“You feel a UNC member going to find Wylie to threaten him?” Persad-Bissessar said.
She warned the voters and supporters to not feel sorry for the PNM.
“Because they not feeling sorry for you,” she said.
Persad-Bissessar Claimed that a parcel of land bought back in 2009 by Works Minister Rohan Sinanan is now being bought back by the Works Ministry for State works in Arima for the Guanapo Bridge project.
She showed photographs of the changes to the land and a re-direction of a river and bridge construction in Arima.
She read out the land deed which alleged that back in 2009, Sinanan had purchased the land for $1.9 million.
“I call on Rohan Sinanan to say whether he was part of the decision to purchase the land or whether like his Attorney General, he left the room when the deal was being negotiated,” she said.