Opposition Leader Penelope Beckles-Robinson has criticized government’s response to crime, arguing that the State of Emergency has failed to address the root causes of violence.
She made the claim during a PNM meeting in Diego Martin on Monday night, while also expressing concern about the handing of over 50 bodies which were discovered in a Cumoto cemetary on the weekend.
“J’layna Armstrong, eight years old, robbed of her future during a failed State of Emergency. Police officer Anusha Eversley, brutally murdered in a police station, during a failed State of Emergency. Fifty infant bodies, unlawfully discarded,” she said.
“This month we have already crossed 100 murders, during a failed State of Emergency.”
The Opposition Leader accused the government of lacking transparency and failing to engage the media.
She took aim at Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, accusing her of limited public engagement, and what she described as governing through indirect communication.
The Opposition leader said the PNM does not support the extension of the State of Emergency, maintaining that it is not a long-term solution to crime.
