By Sue-Ann Wayow

PRIME Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar continues to knock former prime minister Stuart Young, saying on Monday it was painful to listen to him.

This was especially so as he was previously in a position to put measures in place to deal with the escalating crime situation in Trinidad and Tobago, she said.

Persad-Bissessar spoke on the motion of the State of Emergency (SoE) extension in Parliament after Young gave his contribution as parliamentarians met in a special sitting of the House of Representatives.

She said, “It was really, really very painful to listen to my learned colleague from the other side Member of Port of Spain North, St Ann’s West. This is a person who boastfully said, ‘I chaired the National Security Council, so I know what it is like, I know what it is about.’

“And he did that for like one day, because he was like prime minister for one day and by the next day, election was called.”

Persad-Bissessar said it was painful to listen to him to lecture the government, especially when he was in government for almost 10 years even in the capacity at one time as national security minister.

“The crime escalated, a decade of murders, rampant crime in this country and you were minister of national security,” she told him.

Shaking her head she said, “I find it very hard to take any advice from the Member of Port of Spain South…” She was corrected to which she responded with a laugh, “ both of you.”

Member of Parliament for Port of Spain South Keith Scotland, also a former minister in the Ministry of National Security, did not contribute as yet to the motion.

“I will give him a bligh,” Persad-Bissessar said.

Back to the SoE and Young, Persad-Bissessar said such a last resort measure was never implemented until the People’s National Movement (PNM) final leg of government, noting that Young was prime minister at the time.

“What did they do after the State of Emergency? Nothing. They throw their hands up in the air and called an election.”

She also pointed out, “Instead of locking criminals, they locked up the Commissioner of Police in a State of Emergency!”

Persad-Bissessar also asked him, “Why did you call the State of Emergency in the last months?”

The last SoE was declared on December 30 when Young then acted as attorney general.

The justification then was to deal with intelligence from the police about reprisal killings by gangs on a large scale, using illegal high-powered firearms. That SoE ended on April 13, just over two weeks before the general election of April 28.

Former Police Commissioner Erla Harewood-Christopher was arrested one month later on January 30 and subsequently released and sent on leave.

Young in his contribution said the test would be the charges to come during or after the SoE and also questioned, why the need for an extension for the SoE that came into effect on July 18.

He said, “It is a temporary measure, so you disrupt. But let us see the charges utilising the Anti-Gang Legislation.”