By Prior Beharry
RANDOLPH Bharatt, the father of murder victim Andrea Bharatt, is calling on Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley to stop politicising his daughter’s name.
This was revealed in a release from Public Relations Officer of the Candlelight Movement (CM) Kandace Bharath on Tuesday.
The release stated: “Additionally, we have been asked by the grieving father of Andrea Bharatt, Mr Randolph Bharatt, to advise the PM to cease and desist from politicising and calling the name of his brutalised, murdered 23-year-old daughter for his political gain.”
The body of Andrea Bharatt was found down a precipice at the Heights of Aripo six days after she took a car to go home on January 29.
Her death sparked a number of candlelight vigils across the country and led to the establishment of the CM. The movement has received 128,000 signatures on a petition calling for measures to help protect women in Trinidad and Tobago.
On Monday during a sitting of the Lower House to deal with the State of Emergency in place to curb the spread of Covid-19, the prime minister said the candlelight vigils were responsible for the upsurge of the coronavirus in the country. He also said that the Opposition United National Congress organised these vigils.
Both allegations have been denied by the CM.
The release stated, “The Candlelight Movement has stated unequivocally, from the outset that the movement has no political affiliation and denies any allegation of an affiliation with the UNC and/or being paid for by the UNC.
“In fact throughout the history of the Movement, statements have been made criticising both the Government and the Opposition for their respective failures to protect our citizens from crime and calling upon Parliament, in its entirety to do better to protect our women and citizens.”
The release stated that the Government has mishandled the Covid-19 pandemic.
It stated, “Further, it is appalling, but no surprise that the PM has sought to use the name of an innocent victim of murder callously, without care or any consideration for the damage of such statements to the family and loved ones of this victim who, he used as his scapegoat for his Government’s mishandling of the covid-19 pandemic.”
The release stated that it was Dr Rowley who encouraged people to go to Tobago for the Easter holiday and the country has seen an upsurge in Covid-19 after this period.
It stated that the last public vigil of the CM was at Barakah Grounds, Chaguanas on March 12 after which it cancelled all public events and walks.
The CM noted that Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi event attended one of the vigils held for murdered victim of domestic violence Adeina Alleyne in Embacadere, San Fernando, on March 12.
It stated that the prime minister “irresponsibly” called upon citizens to flock to Tobago for the Easter weekend (April 2 to April 5) despite concerns of the Chief Medical Officer Dr Roshan Parasram about increasing cases of Covid-19 positive cases in March, 2021.
It stated, “Thereafter, countless videos and photos were widely circulated by social media of large crowds partying on beaches throughout Tobago for the Easter weekend, with no adherence to social distancing or basic wearing of masks.”
The CM also quoted Minister of Works and Transport Rohan Sinanan: “Just over 50,000 people would have travelled during that week of the Easter, back and forth. We had in excess of 50,000 people moving back and forth and everything ran smoothly…”
The release added, “It is therefore evident that the PM conveniently forgot the gathering he himself organised in Tobago of 50,000 persons for the Easter weekend, the largest gathering during the Covid-19 pandemic.”
It also noted that Dr Rowley tested positive for Covid-19 on April 5 while no committee member of the CM has contracted the virus.
Activist Inshan Ishmael said Dr Rowley should provide empirical evidence that the candlelight vigils led to an upsurge in Covid-19 cases in the country.
He was contacted by AZPNews.com to comment on Dr Rowley’s statement in Parliament on Monday, that the candlelight vigils across the country to honour the death of Arima court clerk Andrea Bharatt caused the upsurge in the coronavirus.
Ishmael, a member of the CM, said in the absence of any empirical data his statements were “ludicrous.”
He said the CM had its last vigil in early March at the Barakah Ground in Endeavour in Chaguanas where all Covid-19 protocols were followed.
He said if there was to be a spike in Covid-19 cases, it would have happened within ten to 14 days after this event and this did not occur.
Ishmael said it was Dr Rowley who encouraged people to visit Tobago over the Easter holiday and “free up.”
He said there may not be an increase in Covid-19 cases in Tobago as compared to Trinidad since people who went to Tobago over the Easter period would have stayed at resorts and hotels.
He blamed the prime minister and his Cabinet for the recent increase in the coronavirus since the Brazilian variant (P1) would have entered the country illegally as T&T borders were closed.
Ishmael said, “The prime minister and his cabinet failed in their responsibility to secure the border.”
He said it was not the fault of citizens that there were 200 illegal points of entry.
Ishmael said, “The prime minister of T&T needs to have a little more responsibility besides being uncouth and unprofessional as a prime minister.”
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