2 weeks ago
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Jesse Ramdeo
Senior Reporter
Jesse [email protected]
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has delivered a blunt and uncompromising warning to members of her own parliamentary team.
“I will buss your head,” she said at last night’s Monday Night Report in Couva, as she accused some of her own MPs of “cavorting” with members of the Opposition, People’s National Movement (PNM), corrupt contractors and some she described as “fake elites.”
Persad-Bissessar cautioned that any MP caught engaging in questionable alliances would face public exposure, dismissal and possible legal consequences.
“I’m warning persons, you know who you are,” she declared.
“You have already forgotten the UNC people who put you in office. I warn you, and I am not afraid, I will fire you. I will ensure you face the courts. We cannot replace a corrupt bunch with another corrupt bunch.”
The Prime Minister stressed that her Government’s priority was to protect the most vulnerable in society, not to reward “political insiders.”
“The UNC worked too hard for some people to be favouring corrupt fake elites,” she said, referencing MPs who she claimed were “liming in Hyatt” with the very people her party had vowed to hold accountable for corrupt practices.
“They will carry you and not bring you back,” she warned.
In a strikingly forceful moment, Persad-Bissessar told MPs to “straighten up and fix yourself,” adding, “Consider this as a warning. This Kamla is not the same. Some of the things you did and get away with will not be repeated.”
Her comments appear aimed at reinforcing party discipline as the UNC marked its first 100 days back in office and intensifies its anti-corruption agenda.
The Prime Minister’s remarks also served as a signal to supporters that her administration intends to guard against internal misconduct as vigorously as it pursues alleged wrongdoing by the former PNM government.
“Public trust is not something we can afford to squander,” she told the gathering.
“If you continue, I will publicly call you out.”
She also declared that her Government had already begun “turning the tide” against crime in T&T, citing a 34 per cent drop in the murder rate and a targeted State of Emergency aimed at dismantling criminal networks.
She said each of her ministers has been mandated to deliver results and will be held accountable directly to the public.
“No one is going to be allowed to hide behind me if they don’t perform,” she said.
“Every man and woman will have to face you and account. Do your jobs.” Defending the ongoing SoE, Persad-Bissessar said it was “designed to hunt down criminals under exceptional circumstances.”
“You hear criticisms about trampling rights … but what about your rights?” she asked the audience.
“The rights of the majority outbalance the criminal elements.”
She reported that 38 preventive detention orders had been issued to stop violent crimes before they reached the streets, insisting that these measures had contributed to the sharp decline in murders.
“Are you safer today? That answer has to be yes,” she told the crowd.
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