Copyright trinidadexpress
The People’s National Movement (PNM) has urged Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar to “look in the mirror” before -making -accusations and confront the “rot” within her own ranks. Persad-Bissessar yesterday issued a statement accusing the Opposition PNM of having ties to the local drug mafia, alleging that it finances the party’s operations and, as a result, benefits from its protection. The Prime Minister’s remarks came as she pushed back against criticism over the visit of US Navy warship USS Gravely to Trinidad and Tobago. The PNM fired back, describing her comments as defamatory and reckless. “The Opposition condemns outright her disgraceful and unfounded claim that the People’s National Movement is ‘a party long suspected of being financed by the local drug mafia’. This is a malicious lie and a gross abuse of her office. “Without a shred of evidence, she has tried to smear the PNM in the context of drug trafficking, even while beside a Cabinet Minister publicly accused of human trafficking,” stated the party. The PNM said the Prime Minister’s statement was “baseless, viciously reckless and highly -defamatory”, calling it a desperate attempt to distract from her Government’s failures and growing public backlash against her leadership. “Before the Prime Minister dares to accuse anyone of corruption or criminal ties, she should first look in the mirror and confront the rot within her own ranks. Her hypocrisy is staggering. “While hurling baseless accusations at others, she remains silent and complicit in the face of credible allegations within her own administration,” the release stated. regional tension Addressing the controversy surrounding the five-day visit of the US Navy warship beginning tomorrow, the PNM noted that such visits have long been routine under successive governments as part of ongoing security -cooperation. “What makes this particular visit deeply concerning is the timing. It comes during a period of extreme regional tension with Venezuela and heightened anxiety among our citizens,” stated the PNM. The Opposition added that instead of offering clarity, the Prime Minister has refused to address the nation or explain what it called her Government’s “erratic, isolationist, anti-Caricom foreign policy”. The PNM said the Prime Minister’s “silence” showed blatant disregard for international law and the United Nations Charter, both of which call for restraint in the use or threat of force and respect for national sovereignty. “Following her wildly irrational attack on the Law Association of Trinidad and Tobago, the Prime Minister has now launched another equally delusional assault, this time on the Opposition. “Such conduct is unworthy of a head of government and reveals the instability and desperation within her administration,” stated the PNM. The party emphasised that it has always maintained strong and respectful relations between Trinidad and Tobago and the United States. It stated that under successive PNM administrations, international and regional partnerships have flourished, grounded in mutual respect and shared democratic values. The release recalled that in December 2024, the US Department of Defence renewed and amended the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with Trinidad and Tobago under a PNM government. It also cited continued cooperation under the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative Technical Assistance Field Team (CBSI-TAFT) and the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA). According to the party, these agreements were first established by the PNM in 2007 to strengthen national and regional security through “genuine partnership, not politics”. The PNM further accused Persad-Bissessar of using her latest “tirade” to divert attention from public unease over the Government’s lack of consultation in the rushed appointment of a new chief justice; as well as from “false promises and poor performance” exposed during the Standing Finance Committee, where the Prime Minister “attended for barely five minutes out of 40 hours of scrutiny”. “At a time when citizens are demanding answers on job losses, rising hardship, and economic instability, the Prime Minister has chosen personal attacks over leadership,” stated the release. The PNM said the Opposition remains focused on holding what it described as “this failing government” to account and defending the people’s right to truth, security and stability. PM doubles down In an immediate response to the media release issued by the PNM, the Prime Minister doubled down on her position. She stated: “The PNM will not be allowed to continue protecting their drug mafia financiers under my watch. They are currently defending illegal drug and arms traffickers from attack. They have previously been attacking stand-your-ground laws to defend violent home invaders. They tried to get violent gang leaders returned to the Maximum Security Prison from Teteron so they could resume their criminal activities.” The Prime Minister stated that in Parliament on Wednesday the Opposition attempted to expose covert information regarding drones and vehicles. She asked, “What is their real motive? Is it to allow drugs to flow freely into the country to fill their financiers’ pockets? Their only concern is the protection of their drug mafia financiers. It appears to the sensible citizens that the PNM is not a national party but a narco party like their friends across the Gulf.”
