Gail Alexander
UNC MP Dr Roodal Moonilal wants National Security Minister Stuart Young to say if the CCTV cameras were working in the vicinity of the route where Andrea Bharatt was taken from.
At Monday night’s UNC virtual meeting, Moonilal said, “I’m informed the CCTV cameras even on a proposed route to track the kidnappers were non-functional. This is the state of national security."
“Our children are kidnapped and brutally murdered while Young has 24/7 security paid for by taxpayers. When we were in office we increased the CCTV coverage. Young say that was too expensive. He’s placed a monetary value on your children’s lives.”
He noted Young had been the subject of two “brutal” editorials in 24 hours in the Express and Guardian.
Moonilal referenced last Friday's clash with Young who had told him he was obsessed with the CCTV cameras.
Moonilal added, “I tell him we’re all obsessed by our security!!! We’re obsessed when our children are kidnapped and brutally murdered and basic crime-fighting tools have collapsed."
“We got official confirmation last Friday that over 800 of the 1800 CCTV cameras are non-operational. In January 2020 Young accused me of misinformation when I revealed 40 per cent weren’t working. Today we hear 44 per cent not working."
“This means that in event of a kidnapping the police cannot even depend on CCTV cameras in real-time to get instant pictures and do investigative work to recover a victim. Young has presided over this -he carries full blame!"
Moonilal added, “We added 500 CCTV cameras in five years - they allow 800 to mash up. They don’t care about catching criminals. They want to have personal control over CCTV for spying. Why they need a spy agency called the Strategic Services Agency (SSA) to operate CCTV cameras? TSTT did this for over 10 years but the minister has no direct control over TSTT, he has direct control over SSA.”
Moonilal alleged Young can use his office to obtain footage of any political opponent.
Moonilal called on Young to identify the “expert specialists” who advised him and the government against provision of pepper spray and other non-lethal weapons to vulnerable citizens.
“Who are these invisible experts? When were they commissioned to do this report? How much did National Security pay for this? The country is angry, the people are mobilized. They want action! Don’t hide behind bureaucracy and confidentiality."