By Sue-Ann Wayow
THE high levels of crime in Trinidad and Tobago is one of the reasons why this year’s Carnival turnout was lower than preceding years.
Opposition Member of Parliament for Caroni East Dr Rishad Seecharan said there were three factors that negatively impacted on Carnival 2023.
He was speaking at the Opposition’s press briefing on Sunday.
Dr Seecharan said, “There were three factors. The first being the high levels of crime in Trinidad and Tobago. Many of the persons in these foreign countries that have to travel in would get a travel advisory from their government before they actually book a ticket to Trinidad and Tobago. That would be the first obstacle we would face.”
He mentioned the British citizen who was injured during a shootout just before Carnival Monday.
“Secondly, we have the fact that we have not managed Covid-19 to the best of our abilities. And truth be told, there is a lot more that (Health) Minister Deyalsingh could do,” Dr Seecharan said.
He said, with approximately 50% of the population still unvaccinated, that could have been a deterrent to foreigners travelling to the country as certain drugs and medical equipment were still not available to the public.
With the several lockdowns that were implemented during the height of the Covid-19 period, Dr Seecharan added that foreigners would still be wary of travelling to Trinidad and Tobago only to hear Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley’s statement, “As of midnight tonight…”
He also said, “We have a number of rival Carnivals around the world…We are behind the ball and Carnival has definitely fallen under the Rowley administration and there is a lot of work to be done.”
Dr Seecharan said with no accountability from Government ministers, he asked, “What will be the difference next year?”
