THE PNM government’s poor performance has made our citizens suffer especially in securing Trinidad and Tobago’s borders.
This has reached a critical point where it cannot be ignored anymore. The porous nature of our coastal borders has allowed a steady influx of drugs, guns and Venezuelan migrants unchecked.
This includes organised criminal elements, to infiltrate our country, and wreaking devastation on the safety and well-being of citizens. This failure rests squarely on the shoulders of the government, particularly the minister of national security and the Coast Guard. The total failure should be nailed to their chest where the glaring inefficiencies have left the nation vulnerable to a wave of violent crimes, that we have witnessed in the past decade.
The alarming rise in kidnappings, extortion, armed robberies, and other violent crimes is not accidental but also linked to the unchecked entry of Venezuelan gangs.
Citizens now live in fear as these criminal networks expand their influence, terrorising communities with no clear solution in sight. The Coast Guard’s inability to adequately patrol and monitor the nation’s coastline has allowed these elements to exploit our weaknesses. The National Security Ministry has failed to implement any plan for protecting the borders, or any plan for border control or even invest in the necessary resources to close these gaps.
This is not just a failure of governance but a betrayal of the people’s trust in the government. The PNM administration’s inability to safeguard the nation’s borders has endangered all citizens’ lives, broken down public trust in law enforcement, and left communities facing the consequences of their inaction. Trinidad and Tobago’s citizens now pay the price for this negligence, as Venezuelan gangs infiltrate and destabilise the country.
Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s call for the deportation of Venezuelan migrants involved in crime is a step in the right direction, and the UNC has the policies to deal with this issue that demands more than just reactive measures that this Government is not even capable of.
It requires strong leadership, decisive action, and a complete revamp of national security policies—none of which the PNM government has demonstrated any capability to provide. This singular issue of border insecurity, increased by its devastating effects on crime and public safety, is enough to justify voting the PNM government out of office.
The citizens of Trinidad and Tobago deserve a government that puts their safety and well-being first, not one that allows criminal elements from outside our borders to develop networks to flourish unchecked. The PNM has failed to deliver on its most fundamental responsibility: protect its people.
This failure alone is reason enough to demand change at the ballot box and hold them accountable for the state of affairs in which this country finds itself where we continue to be terrorized under this godforsaken regime.
Neil Gosine is an insurance executive, sometimes a temporary Opposition Senator, an ex-treasurer of the UNC and a former chairman of the National Petroleum Marketing Company of Trinidad and Tobago (NP). He holds a Doctorate in Business Administration, a Master’s in Business Administration MBA, BSC in Mathematics and a BA in Administrative Studies. The views and comments expressed in this column are not necessarily those of AZP News, a Division of Complete Image Limited
Commentary: Failing to Secure T&T Borders
THE PNM government’s poor performance has made our citizens suffer especially in securing Trinidad and Tobago’s borders.
This has reached a critical point where it cannot be ignored anymore. The porous nature of our coastal borders has allowed a steady influx of drugs, guns and Venezuelan migrants unchecked.
This includes organised criminal elements, to infiltrate our country, and wreaking devastation on the safety and well-being of citizens. This failure rests squarely on the shoulders of the government, particularly the minister of national security and the Coast Guard. The total failure should be nailed to their chest where the glaring inefficiencies have left the nation vulnerable to a wave of violent crimes, that we have witnessed in the past decade.
The alarming rise in kidnappings, extortion, armed robberies, and other violent crimes is not accidental but also linked to the unchecked entry of Venezuelan gangs.
Citizens now live in fear as these criminal networks expand their influence, terrorising communities with no clear solution in sight. The Coast Guard’s inability to adequately patrol and monitor the nation’s coastline has allowed these elements to exploit our weaknesses. The National Security Ministry has failed to implement any plan for protecting the borders, or any plan for border control or even invest in the necessary resources to close these gaps.
This is not just a failure of governance but a betrayal of the people’s trust in the government. The PNM administration’s inability to safeguard the nation’s borders has endangered all citizens’ lives, broken down public trust in law enforcement, and left communities facing the consequences of their inaction. Trinidad and Tobago’s citizens now pay the price for this negligence, as Venezuelan gangs infiltrate and destabilise the country.
Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s call for the deportation of Venezuelan migrants involved in crime is a step in the right direction, and the UNC has the policies to deal with this issue that demands more than just reactive measures that this Government is not even capable of.
It requires strong leadership, decisive action, and a complete revamp of national security policies—none of which the PNM government has demonstrated any capability to provide. This singular issue of border insecurity, increased by its devastating effects on crime and public safety, is enough to justify voting the PNM government out of office.
The citizens of Trinidad and Tobago deserve a government that puts their safety and well-being first, not one that allows criminal elements from outside our borders to develop networks to flourish unchecked. The PNM has failed to deliver on its most fundamental responsibility: protect its people.
This failure alone is reason enough to demand change at the ballot box and hold them accountable for the state of affairs in which this country finds itself where we continue to be terrorized under this godforsaken regime.
Neil Gosine is an insurance executive, sometimes a temporary Opposition Senator, an ex-treasurer of the UNC and a former chairman of the National Petroleum Marketing Company of Trinidad and Tobago (NP). He holds a Doctorate in Business Administration, a Master’s in Business Administration MBA, BSC in Mathematics and a BA in Administrative Studies. The views and comments expressed in this column are not necessarily those of AZP News, a Division of Complete Image Limited