By Alicia Chamely
OPPOSITION Leader Penelope Beckles is calling on Prime Minister Kalma Persad-Bissessar to retract her statement that the United States should kill all drug traffickers “violently.”
Beckles is further calling on the Prime Minister to appear before the media and provide the public with proper information on the unfolding conflict between the United States and Venezuela.
On Tuesday, at a White House press conference, US President Donald Trump announced the US had carried out an airstrike on a small sea vessel allegedly belonging to the transnational Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua in the Southern Caribbean Sea. The attack took place in international waters.
The US had deemed the Tren de Aragua “narco-terrorists”.
Washington later confirmed the attack, stating all 11 occupants, believed to be cartel members, were killed.
Responding to the US’s action via WhatsApp, Persad-Bissessar said, “Our country has been ravaged by bloody violence and addiction because of the greed of the cartels. The slaughter of our people is fuelled by evil cartel traffickers. The pain and suffering the cartels have inflicted on our nation is immense. I have no sympathy for traffickers; the US military should kill them all violently.”
Beckles, in response to Persad-Bissessar, posted on her Facebook page on Wednesday criticising the Prime Minister’s response and calling for her to address the nation to give clarity on what transpired, had discussions been held with CARICOM and as to whether there was coordination with the T&T Coast Guard.
Accusing Persad-Bissessar of hiding behind WhatsApp messages, Beckles said, “Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has fallen into a pattern of issuing WhatsApp messages to avoid proper media scrutiny and an appropriate degree of public clarity.”
Beckles continued, “Her latest WhatsApp missive in which she declared that the United States of America should ‘kill them all violently’, is reckless, disgraceful and inconsistent with the oath she has taken to uphold the Constitution and the law.”
She questioned whether Persad-Bissessar had engaged with CARICOM in determining the region’s position on the conflict.
Beckles said, “Was CARICOM consulted or engaged before such unprecedented alignment with foreign military action? Given the Prime Minister’s scant regard for CARICOM, we must question whether she engaged in any consultations with our CARICOM colleagues before this new round of public cheerleading for foreign military action.”
The Opposition Leader called on Persad-Bissessar to provide clarity on the attack, given the lack of detail provided.
She said, “Additionally given the insufficient, varying, and contrasting details provided to the regional public, it would be important for the Prime Minister to give some clarity on the location of the vessel in question, and additional clarity on any coordination with the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard.”
Beckles called out the Prime Minister saying, “We therefore call on the Prime Minister to immediately retract her reckless statement, to appear before the media, and to provide the public with proper answers.”
“We again remind the Prime Minister of her responsibilities as the assigned Caricom lead on regional security, and we are troubled that none of her commentary since the most recent deployment of foreign troops reflects any commitment to fulfil Trinidad and Tobago’s coordination obligations in such regard,” she continued.
Beckles said the Opposition supported all “strong and decisive” action against the drug trade, but it must be in alignment with the law and international obligations.
She again took issue with Persad-Bissessar’s response saying, “Trinidad and Tobago deserves leadership that is strong, wise, and responsible. We cannot and ought not to support impulsive, inflammatory, dangerous rhetoric that can undermine our security and credibility.
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar had long thrown her support behind the US’s exercise to disrupt and eliminate the narcotics trade in the region, despite other CARICOM leaders calling for neutrality and establishing the Caribbean as a “zone of peace.”
