By Sue-Ann Wayow
ALMOST one year after the horrific killings of Andrea Bharatt and Ashanti Riley, women in Trinidad and Tobago still do not have legal access to pepper spray as a means of protecting themselves.
Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar is calling on Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi to implement the law that was already passed in Parliament.
She was speaking at the United National Congress (UNC) virtual meeting on Monday night.
Persad-Bissessar said, “Last week, made it one year since the horrific murders of two young women that shocked our nation. Now, one year later, after all these vigils for young Andrea and Ms Riley, we still cannot get the promised pepper spray. But do you know that we passed it in the Parliament? But they do not implement it.”
She said Al-Rawi was only “mamaguying” the country by stating shortly after the murders that the pepper spray legislation will be implemented but that was still yet to be done.
The Firearms (Amendment) Act No 7 of 2021 was passed in the Parliament and was assented to on July 6, 2021, to regulate the use of pepper spray in this country.
The rules were listed in the Firearms (Use of Pepper Spray) Order 2021 published on August 3, 2021, by way of a legal notice.
A permit is required for its use.
Mental strain
Persad-Bissessar also said not enough was being done to deal with the mental trauma brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic and people of all ages were having mental strains.
She said, “Seeing this death all around us. Not being able to grieve properly or sometimes to even perform the religious rituals like cremation that are so necessary. Not being able to have proper human contact for so long, even though so much of the world elsewhere is opening up. All this takes a mental toll on us.”
The government she said was not consistent in its policies.
“We need to remember that there are many of our neighbours and friends and co-workers who are all fighting personal battles we know nothing about. Being closed up, without proper human interaction, only makes it worse. Please remember to show compassion and kindness to everyone around you during these times,” Persad-Bissessar said.
While stating UNC’s commitment to assist those who are stressed mentally, she said, Government continued to ill-spend money especially when many people have lost their jobs.
She questioned the allocation of $30 million for Carnival activities.
Persad-Bissessar said, “Right now people are struggling to pay their bills. People are struggling to find work. People are struggling to feed their families. You are spending $30 million to put money in whose pocket? For a fake zone carnival. I take great umbrage. I know we are proud of our carnival. I am very proud that it is one of the greatest shows on earth. You are spending $30 million but where is that money going?”
She said she was informed that a small business had to shut down and half employees received salary grants, the other half did not and she again questioned why.
With the hope that the UNC will once again return to government, she said, “We will make dealing with mental health issues a component of the pandemic recovery.”
“We cannot improve the health of our economy without improving the health of our people. They are one and the same,” Persad-Bissessar said.
