MP Charles challenges Rowley: Stop blaming the UNC. Tell us your plans for returning terrorists
Unable to develop concrete policies to deal with home grown terrorism including the issue of returning terrorists, PM Rowley has once again resorted to spinning untruths and blaming the UNC for his government’s many failings on the crime and terrorism fronts.
Last Friday, in San Fernando, Dr. Rowley again falsely blamed the Opposition for tarnishing our image abroad when we questioned in Parliament his government’s shortcomings on crime and terrorism. The Opposition in Parliament “tell the world that we are a nest of ISIS and we’re creating Muslims extremists and jihadists,” he thundered.
The truth is:
- There have been several international news reports with respect to the threat to Trinidad and Tobago from returning terrorists. Nowhere is any opposition member quoted. Instead his own Minister of National Security has been a source.
- The UK Express of 25th October 2017 warned that ISIS is training our jihadists to target, on their return, tourism hotspots and westerners in the region and, reports that “When quizzed over the risk of jihadis returning, Minister of National Security of Trinidad and Tobago at the CARICOM replied: “It is not a matter of yes but when….” [1]
That UK Express article quotes former US Ambassador Estrada as Describing the islands as the terror group’s “unthinking seedbed”, he told New York Times:”Per capita, Trinidad has the greatest number of foreign fighters from the Western Hemisphere who have joined the Islamic State.”
Other international reports include: The UK Sun which warned that “FEARS are growing that Trinidad and Tobago could face a new wave of terror attacks from returning ISIS jihadis” and that we have “the highest rate of ISIS foreign recruitment in the Western hemisphere.”[2]
Jihad Watch reports “that fears are growing Western holidaymakers will be targeted in terror attacks by depraved terrorists who have travelled back to Trinidad and Tobago from the beaten caliphate”. [3]
Very recently in Parliament, MP Charles raised the issue of TT families stranded on the battlefields of the global war on terror due to the fall, days before, of a major ISIS city. PM Rowley’s PNM accusations among others included “making it up to tarnish our image abroad.”
Fortunately, a copy of “Human Rights Watch Report” [4] provided the necessary enlightenment to our clueless PM.
Our PM clearly does not understand that, unlike his bankrupt administration, governments have structured, varied, reliable and systematic ways of gathering intelligence on global terrorism in general and, in particular, about our home grown terrorists especially while they are abroad.
When Canadian, US, Australian, and UK governments issue negative travel advisories, they have independent sources of obtaining and verifying that information including their Embassies and High Commissions in POS.
“It would not be surprising if some of these Missions know more than our own Ministry of National Security about drug related and criminal activities taking place locally,” says Charles.
NO PLAN PM ROWLEY
In the face of this ever increasing threat, PM Rowley, ostrich-like, has no known plans to confront our terrorist threat. In 2014, it was the same when he criticized the former PM when our country co-sponsored the UN Resolution on counter-terrorism.
Whilst countries around the world are articulating comprehensive plans to deal with returning terrorists, PM Rowley presides over a clueless administration.
This government has no clue as to who left TT for Syria, when they left, how many left, what are their connections back home, how they were recruited, who financed their travels, where our jihadists went, which battles they fought, what military skills they now possess, who died, who were captured, when will survivors return, and what we will do with them upon their arrival.
Serious governments have plans in place for dealing with returning terrorists except Dr Rowley’s:
(a) According to Justice Minister Michael Keenan, the:
“Australian government has planned for the return of at least 70 children of ISIS fighters and will give them counseling, welfare and citizenship. They will be offered privacy and an education. Each child will be case managed and the returning youngsters won’t be left without help or guidance as they transition back into regular life.” [5]
(b) Netherlands Foreign Minister, Bert Koenders, speaking at this year’s UN General Assembly, which was not attended by PM Rowley and which highlighted global terrorism, said that his government has put aside 3 million Euros to confront “the poisonous mix of returning terrorists and criminal networks forging partnerships.”[6]
(c) Sweden has put in place a program to rehabilitate former ISIS fighters and other extremists with housing, employment, education and financial support.[7]
(d) Denmark is pairing individuals such as returning fighters or radicals who want to fight abroad with trained mentors to counter fundamentalist indoctrination.[8]
Where are our plans Dr. Rowley?
Stop the blame game and start working.
Rodney Charles
MP for Naparima
[1] https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/870509/ISIS-latest-news-holiday-warning-threat-Caribbean-Trinidad-Tobago-jihadi/amp
[2] https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/4763711/brit-tourists-warned-over-isis-attacks-on-trinidad-tobago-as-caribbean-island-becomes-new-breeding-ground-for-jihadis/
[3] https://www.jihadwatch.org/2017/10/warning-issued-the-islamic-state-is-training-jihadis-in-caribbean-tourist-hotspots
[5] http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4915040/Australian-children-born-fighters-returning-home.html
[6] https://www.government.nl/latest/news/2017/09/20/new-focus-on-role-of-families-of-returning-isis-fighters