PM: No freedom, democracy for many in region

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar - Photo by Faith Ayoung

PRIME MINISTER Kamla Persad-Bissessar has said many people in the region do not enjoy the freedom and democracy which the people of TT do.

She made this comment in her Christmas message to the nation on December 24.

Persad-Bissessar made references to biblical quotations which focus on oppression and freedom.

First, Luke 4:18, "He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the captives and to set the oppressed free.”

Persad-Bissessar said, "As we are reminded, Jesus came into the world as 'the true light, which gives light to everyone' (John 1:9). From the very beginning, that light confronted oppression

She added, "Christ’s earliest days were marked by flight from a tyrant ruler, King Herod, as His family escaped violence used to preserve power (Matthew 2:13-15)."

Persad-Bissessar said this scripture shows Christ's "life began in solidarity with the persecuted, the displaced, and the powerless."

While TT cherishes democracy and freedom, she continued, other nations in the region are not so fortunate.

"At the same time, we remain mindful that many in our region do not share these freedoms. In neighbouring countries, populations are forced to live under repression, violence, and economic hardship."

Persad-Bissessar identified no country by name

She said, "Tyranny and oppression have torn families apart, forcing many into refugee lives, driven from their homelands by fear and deprivation

In a post on X this week, Persad-Bissessar said, Caricom has aligned itself with the (Venezuelan President Nicolas) Maduro narco government headed by a dictator who has imprisoned or killed thousands of Venezuelans who oppose him."

She added, "TT wants no part of that alignment, we don’t support dictatorship and drug trafficking and we don’t support Caricom in their zone of peace fakery."

Persad-Bissessar claimed Caricom has "chosen to support the Maduro narco government through the fake zone of peace narrative which is clearly designed to get the American military to leave the Caribbean region and therefore enable Maduro to remain as dictator in Venezuela. "

Persad-Bissessar has publicly supported the US military deployment in the region which started in August, the Trump administration's position the deployment is an anti-narcotic exercise and US military strikes on alleged drug vessels in the Caribbean which other nations have described as extrajudicial killings.

Persad-Bissessar has defended the establishment of a US military radar in Tobago and defended US actions in the region against local and Caricom critics. She has publicly differed with other Caricom leaders about the organisation's longstanding position that the Caribbean must be maintained as a zone of peace.

She said, "Christ’s life teaches us that true strength is found in service and that authority, without compassion, becomes oppression."

Christmas, Persad-Bissessar continued, therefore, "is not only a celebration of birth but a call to humility, integrity, justice, and care for others."

She said TT has begun to steady itself eight months after the UNC won the April 28 general election.

"There is renewed seriousness in public life and a stronger focus on service, responsibility, and integrity."

Persad-Bissessar said, " While challenges remain, there is confidence that when the welfare of the people is placed first, the future can be shaped with purpose."

Those challenges include recent revised economic outlooks from international ratings agencies Moody's and Standard and Poors (S&P) from stable to negative, ongoing foreign exchanges supply and demand issues and the ongoing state of emergency (SoE) which began in July and which was extended in October.

Persad-Bissessar said the values of Christmas "guide the work of this government and renew my commitment to serve with honesty, empathy, strength, and responsibility."

Addressing a UNC fundraising Christmas dinner, in Couva, on December 13, Persad-Bissessar told party members, "Brace your back. We have a lot of work to do in the new year."

She added, "The year ahead will be very decisive and a lot of work to be done."