Senior Political Reporter
UNC MP Roodal Moonilal says when citizens are confronted with a supermarket bill of $700 to $1,000 now, “tell them don’t worry, we ent have no money but we have a new Coat of Arms.”
Moonilal made the claim as he doubled down on the Opposition’s criticism of Government’s move to redesign T&T’s Coat of Arms, replacing Christopher Columbus’s three ships with the steelpan, at the UNC’s Budget consultations in Oropouche East on Tuesday.
Moonilal said the PNM Government could not protect the public from a mosquito, worse yet bandits, but instead of focusing on eradicating crime were instead concentrating on removing Columbus’s ships from the Coat of Arms.
“Now nothing is wrong with symbols, symbols are important, but what is important is to fight crime, prevent flooding, dengue, ensure you have roads, drainage and, water,” he said.
”Election is upon us—November, December, next year, whenever—Rowley come now with constitutional reform. People don’t have jobs, water or security but they tell you constitutional reform. They have nothing to show so they come with this gimmickry.
“So don’t worry when all your children dead from murder and you have no water in the tap, dengue kill the children or when you push your trolley in the supermarket and the bill is $700 to $1,000, tell them ‘don’t worry, we ent have no money but we have a new Coat of Arms’.
Moonilal added, “They have no performance record, so they come now to tell you the Coat of Arms change—feel proud. Well I say the La Basse in Beetham is named after the old British colonial governor named Beetham—I think we should change that name to the Rowley La Basse—localise that.
“... But he’s doing that as a distraction so that you don’t talk about crime. ... Coat of Arms—red herring. Constitutional reform—distraction as they have no solutions to the problems.”
Among speakers was former Progressive Empowerment Party (PEP) deputy leader Marissa Persad-Parboo. She said she had once been against Moonilal, but thanked him for the opportunity to speak at the meeting.
Persad-Parboo discussed women’s rights and difficulties faced by the business community. She said, “As a person owning several businesses, especially in real estate, we’ve been putting ourselves in danger daily. We sometimes have to meet the pretenders and scammers who hear what you have to offer and when you go to the site, we have nothing else to gain. We also have no safety as women in T&T.”
She said as a widow and mother, she went to sites minus protection.
“I want to advocate for women’s rights as I hear a lot of men wanting the gun issues to be cleared up, but I haven’t heard any women advocate for it also. I’d d like Government, the Prime Minister, to pass the law with the pepper spray, as well as women being able—of course with the right protocols— to own a gun.”
Persad-Parboo related an incident where relatives were attacked by bandits. Her aunt was beaten when the culprits demanded more.
“The guy took out the computer charger, wrapped it around her neck and said ‘watch me, you go dead today’.”
She said if her aunt had a gun in the drawer where the thieves thought she had jewellery, she’d have taken it out.
“And how Ms Persad-Bissessar would have said, ‘empty the clip’? And that’s what I want for our women—to stand up. We’re tired being the smaller person to the men...”
She said she asks police officers to monitor when she goes on business and travels at different times, “as they scoping us out ... plus we have to deal with unscrupulous men who think—as the Prime Minister say—we not choosing our men wisely.”
Persad-Parboo said hopefully by next year, a new UNC government under Kamla Persad- Bissessar and deputy leader Moonilal will make pepper spray accessible for women or have self defence classes to communities for women.
Former CNMG CEO Ken Ali Ali said the Prime Minister had changed the conversation with the Coat of Arms issue when homicides had crossed 400 and more Venezuelans were crossing to T&T via Erin and Cedros, putting pressure on our health and other systems.
