THERE should be no separation between diplomat, worker and the ordinary citizen when it comes to granting approval for exemptions.
Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar issued a statement on Saturday in a repeated call for fairness in the granting of approvals.
She said Young continued to be incompetent in dealing with the thousands of citizens anxiously waiting to come home.
She added that while she was not against any individual being allowed to enter Trinidad and Tobago including the 39 foreigners from Honduras who recently arrived, the main concern was all the others who have still not received exemptions from the Ministry of National Security.
She said, “We are against Stuart Young’s arbitrary, unlawful, and discriminatory process as it remains one shrouded in confusion, chaos, and uncertainty, leaving our nationals feeling hopeless. He tried to deflect from the issue that the Government’s flawed exemption policy has resulted in citizens left waiting for over 10 months in some cases, begging to return to the place of their birth.”
Persad-Bissessar added, “It is shameful that this Government is defending diplomats and foreign workers for the business sector yet cannot comprehend nor have compassion for the grave repercussions this is having on families, parents as well as children. The Government’s policies must be about everyone, not just a selected few.”
She asked, “Why can’t our nationals be automatically exempted once they follow proper criteria including testing and mandatory quarantine?”
The Opposition Leader said the recently implemented online application system did not fix any problem since thousands had to reapply.
She once again called for all citizens to be given the opportunity to return home as soon as possible.
