PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC -A war of words has broken out between Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and the prominent opposition People’s National Movement (PNM) after she accused the country’s oldest political party of having links to local drug dealers.
Persad Bissessar, in a statement welcoming the arrival of the United States warship USS Gravely from October 26-30, said it will also engage in military training with the Trinidad and Tobago Defense Force (TTDF).
“This visit augurs well for our nation. It represents a continued partnership in strengthening our national security, enhancing operational readiness, and improving protective capabilities.
“For far too long, our open and poorly secured borders have facilitated the trafficking of humans, drugs, and firearms. Tens of thousands of illegal migrants have entered our country, and over 10,000 citizens have been brutally murdered in the last two decades,” Persad-Bissessar said.
But she said that, unfortunately, the PNM “and their agents are persistent in creating unnecessary hysteria and conspiracy theories in a desperate attempt to create instability and chaos.
“It is most concerning that the PNM, a party long suspected of being financed by the local drug mafia, is overtly attempting to undermine efforts to stop drug, arms, and human trafficking into our country.
“Most disheartening is that the historically PNM-controlled constituencies are the ones most affected by drugs and bloody gang violence, fuelled by the actions of the drug cartels. Yet the PNM and their agents choose to put the interests of their drug mafia financiers in front of their own constituents.”
Persad-Bissessar said that the PNM’s primary concern is “the protection of the illegal profits of their drug mafia financiers.
“They have no care for the pain and suffering of their own constituents, far less all other citizens who have borne the terror of murder and grotesque violence for years.
Clearly, the PNMs’ daily disinformation campaign is aimed at derailing the ongoing drug and arms interdiction efforts to protect their drug mafia financiers,” she added.
But in an immediate response, the PNM, which lost the April 28 general elections after being in power for nearly 10 years, said it “categorically rejects outright the Prime Minister’s entirely baseless, viciously reckless and highly defamatory statement issued today, which is a desperate attempt to distract from her government’s failures and the growing public backlash against her leadership”
The party said that this is not the first time a United States naval asset has visited Trinidad and Tobago, noting that such visits have been routine under successive governments as part of longstanding security cooperation.
“What makes this particular visit deeply concerning is the timing. It comes during a period of extreme regional tension with Venezuela and heightened anxiety among our citizens. Instead of offering clarity, the Prime Minister has refused to address the nation or explain her government’s erratic, isolationist, anti-CARICOM foreign policy.
“Her silence demonstrates a blatant disregard for the principles of international law and the United Nations Charter, both of which call for the avoidance of the use or threat of force and for respect for the sovereignty of all nations.”
The Donald Trump administration has been building up a military presence off the coast of the South American country, allegedly as part of its fight against the illegal shipment of drugs to the United States. Washington has confirmed that it has bombed several vessels, killing all but two people, in recent times as it puts its policy into action.
Last weekend, the Guyana-based CARICOM Secretariat said that Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders had met earlier this month to discuss several issues on the regional agenda, including the security build-up in parts of the Caribbean and its potential impact on member states.
It said that the government of Trinidad and Tobago did not endorse the position at that meeting.
The PNM said that it “condemns outright” Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar’s “disgraceful and unfounded claim that the People’s National Movement is ‘a party long suspected of being financed by the local drug mafia.”
“This is a malicious lie and a gross abuse of her office. Without a shred of evidence, she has tried to smear the PNM in the context of drug trafficking, even while sitting beside a Cabinet Minister publicly accused of human trafficking.
“Before the Prime Minister dares to accuse anyone of corruption or criminal ties, she should first look in the mirror and confront the rot within her own ranks. Her hypocrisy is staggering. While hurling baseless accusations at others, she remains silent and complicit in the face of credible allegations within her own administration.”
The PNM said that it has always upheld “strong and respectful” relations between Trinidad and Tobago and the United States of America and that under previous PNM governments, “our international and regional partnerships have flourished, built on mutual respect and shared democratic values”.
Meanwhile, the United States Embassy Chargé d’Affaires here, Dr. Jenifer Neidhart de Ortiz, said the partnership between the United States and Trinidad and Tobago exemplifies regional strength through collaboration.
Together, we address shared threats like transnational crime and build resilience through training, humanitarian missions, and security efforts. Our longstanding partnership has provided medical care and disaster preparedness training, improved lives, and strengthened communities.
“Our cooperation ensures greater safety and stability across the Caribbean region. We are grateful for the close collaboration with our Trinidad and Tobago partners in the TTDF. For the warm welcome provided by the government of Trinidad and Tobago,” the US diplomat added.
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