Kamla: Why did it take 10 months for Stuart Young to revise the exemption process?

The announcement on Friday 22nd January of a new process for citizens to apply for exemptions is a clear admission by the Minister of National Security that he has failed the people of Trinidad and Tobago with his poorly conceived exemption process.

Minister Stuart Young should be ashamed that for over ten months he abdicated his constitutional responsibilities to the people of this nation by failing to implement a proper mechanism to repatriate citizens wishing to return home.

For ten months the Minister neglected the cries of innocent citizens, leaving them in turmoil due to his “politics before people” approach.

The fact is the threat from the virus facing our nation today is the same as it was ten months ago, and the Government should have had a proper plan and a transparent and fair system in place.

The question on everyone’s minds is simply – why did it take Minister Young 10 months to introduce this new process? During that time he left thousands of nationals on their own preventing them from returning home.

Furthermore, this new application process does not address the root cause of the problem. Citizens were not having problems in applying, but in getting an exemption because it still depends on him as Minister.

This Government has shown scant care for our citizens stranded abroad, many of whom have been struggling to survive on depleted resources.

On Wednesday 27 January 2020 the Opposition United National Congress will hold Stuart Young accountable on behalf of the thousands of citizens whose lives have been ruined by his negligence.