Opposition Leader: Lockdown without an economic plan

In the same manner as last year’s lockdown measures, Keith Rowley’s new measures are being done without a proper plan.

The Prime Minister has said once again that the country has no money and therefore is unable to provide any support to businesses and individuals who would suffer in the coming weeks due to the economic impacts of these measures.

There is a pertinent need to do all it takes to protect the lives and wellbeing of our citizens, but this must be done while also protecting their ability to put food on their tables.

The Government’s mantra that “we are all in this together” rings hollow, given that the Prime Minister spent a large part of his presentation blaming citizens for the surge in cases.

One would have thought that the Prime Minister, after having just recovered from COVID-19, would have had a different approach to the rise in cases today. Instead, in his usual style, he came to blame citizens for the recent spike, conveniently forgetting that he recently had a rampage in Tobago where he eventually contracted the virus.

These lockdowns do not affect the Government because the Government and their friends clearly are above the law.

To deflect from his Government’s absolute failure, Prime Minister Rowley came to blame the citizens, the vaccines, and older people who may have been visiting a loved one.

Furthermore, Rowley and his Government refuse to acknowledge their failure to secure our maritime borders as it is quite possible the Brazilian Variant came via an illegal migrant crossing the porous border from South America.

Rowley’s Government, without any plan, continues to punish and blame hard-working citizens for their own failures. Citizens will undoubtedly end up paying the price for this Government’s continued failure.

Kamla Persad-Bissessar, SC, MP

Opposition Leader of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago

29 April 2021