Trinidad and Tobago: The leader of the opposition party- UNC, in Trinidad and Tobago– Kamla Persad Bisessar, called on the ruling party and stated, “Today, T&T can’t breathe, and it is because of the failure of the government.”
The leader also said that this is a time to show humility and not to display arrogance. UNC asked on the ruling party to engage all stakeholders and the opposition UNC to form a unified front to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
Following her statement, the leader added, “When the COVID-19 numbers were at merest levels, the government was praising itself and patting itself, and now, as the pandemic continues to plague the nation, PNM is refusing to accept blame for the darkness that has descended.”
Bissesar added that vaccination is the only way out of this pandemic, and the government has failed to procure vaccines.
“PM Rowley’s government failed to request a gift of vaccines from the government of India as other islands in the Caribbean did. PM’s claim of waiting for WHO- to approve Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines makes no sense, as we gladly accepted a donation of 2000 vaccines from Barbados island.”
UNC leader pointed the failure of the government for purchasing the Pfizer vaccines with an offer of 351,000 vaccines for US$8.4 million, and it is baffling that PM Rowley is now saying that the vaccines were not available for the purchase. On this, she questioned the government and said that “Did the government has refused to buy vaccines for people because it was waiting for 100,000 vaccines from China?”
“Our people would not be dying today, and our hospitals would not be running out of space if the government had put the people first and bought the vaccines.”
Bissesar added, “PM Rowley said he didn’t want to beg for COVID-19 vaccines, and it is clear now that he was simply waiting for donations to be thrown our way as our people become casualties. On top of all of this, our nation’s borders have been closed for over a year, yet the Brazilian variant entered because of porous, unmanned borders. Another abject failure of the Rowley Government.”
She pointed out and said that the government should not blame the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago for the rise in COVID-19 cases and must take responsibility for the COVID-19 crisis in the nation.
The leader further concluded and asserted, ” It is time they accept help from the wider society and stop blaming citizens for their failure to manage this crisis. We cannot continue with the same persons who have made no progress since February 2020. The UNC and many stakeholders have been trying to assist since the beginning of this crisis, but the Government has pursued its own way.”
