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  • 2 years ago
The Opposition Leader says that just like Reggae legend Bob Marley's music reflected the music of his time, if there is Trinibad music, it is a reflection of the situation now in Trinidad and Tobago.

Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar made the declaration in Parliament on Friday in her first public statements following the Prime Minister's remarks that while a ban will not work, lyrics that promote violence and vulgarity must be condemned.

This followed concerns raised during this week's CARICOM Summit.

Juhel Browne reports.
Transcript
00:00 The minister's second claim was that music, specifically Trinidad music.
00:06 Where's your empirical data for this? Where is the empirical data for this?
00:11 Because there is no empirical data which says that music influences young people to become
00:16 promoters. There's none.
00:18 Opposition leader Kamala Bissette sat in the House of Representatives on Friday as she
00:22 read from an Express article dated February 21st about a recent breakfast meeting education
00:29 minister Dr. Nayan Gatsby Dolly held with the private sector on the issue of school
00:34 violence.
00:35 And I noticed a lot of people are onto music in the last couple of days at Caricom and
00:42 other places about the music. Music is a reflection of the culture of a time.
00:47 Caricom's new chairman, Guyana's president, Dr. Irfan Ali, issued a call to his fellow
00:53 heads of government.
00:54 The lyrics of our region. We do not need lyrics that promote violence in this region.
01:06 As leaders of this region, we have to take this situation very seriously and ensure the
01:13 lyrics of the region is the lyrics of Bob Marley, the lyrics of positivity.
01:19 The opposition leader recalled having attended a peace concert that the reggae legend held
01:24 in Jamaica on April 22nd in 1978.
01:27 He did that peace concert, and the height of the crime that was taking place there.
01:33 And his music is revolutionary music. There were doors in their homes, don't listen to
01:37 that kind of music. And all this reggae thing and Bob Marley talking about struggle. That
01:43 was the music of the time. If there is any bad music, it is a reflection of what is happening
01:48 in the reality of the situation now in Trinidad and Tobago.
01:53 In fact, last year, this is how the opposition leader emphasized her call for the U.S. styled
01:59 "Stand Your Ground" law for licensed firearm owners if they face home invasions.
02:04 Trinidad language tonight. You have to load up the matic. You have to load up this matic.
02:25 You have to pull it back. You have to knock it on them. And then knock it again. Knock
02:43 it again. When the criminals are coming through your door of your home.
02:44 In Parliament on Friday, Minister in the Ministry of Education, Lisa Morrish-Julian, offered
02:45 a response on behalf of the government.
02:46 A young man sang about guns and violence. Things that he did not experience personally,
02:56 but was killed for simply saying words. So when I hear a grandmother say, "Load up the
03:09 matic, and bring it to Parliament, Deputy Speaker," then I understand what exactly is
03:19 wrong with society.
03:22 During a media conference on Wednesday, Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley said the CARICOM
03:26 leaders discussed the issue of lyrics that promote violence.
03:30 We make a distinction between condemning it and banning it. Because we believe that to
03:39 talk about bans, to ban something, is simply to make it more attractive to those who would
03:45 want to use it.
03:47 On Friday, the opposition leader told the Parliament about the origins of a long-accepted
03:51 form of local music and the national instrument, and maintained her criticism of the government.
03:58 You couldn't listen to Pan Uncle Lip-Sod. I was saying criminals, badgering bad people.
04:04 All them pan up in the hill is badgering criminals. So let not your failure to deal with the crime
04:11 situation push you into directions that you don't really and should not really go. Don't
04:15 go there.
04:16 It was all part of the debate on a motion raised by opposition MP Anita Haynes on the
04:22 nation's education system.
04:24 Jule Brown, TV6 News.
04:26 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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