OPP LEADER RESPONDS

The opposition leader days the PM's statement will lead the country into stasis and calls on the Prime  Minister to call the election now.

Transcript

00:00Again that's the response of the opposition leader who notes it's not the

00:04first time the PNM political leader has made the announcement that he is about

00:09to retire. While she says many will celebrate the end of his political

00:13career, she's compelled to address the concerns about his penchant for

00:18political maneuvering. Bassad Bassasa says the Prime Minister and his MPs

00:23have brutalized businesses and impoverished citizens and have allowed

00:27violent crime crisis to destroy every independent institution in the country.

00:32The opposition leader says the government is in chaos and she

00:36questions why the Prime Minister made the announcement after calling an SOE

00:40four days ago. She criticizes the PM for crashing the country and abandoning the

00:46ship after raising his salary and pension. This announcement she says would

00:51lead the country into financial stasis until the next general election. As she

00:57says state security officers will not heed instructions from a lame-duck

01:00Prime Minister, local and foreign financial institutions and energy

01:05companies will hold on to most investment and credit access will be put

01:11on hold. The opposition leader questions if the upcoming cabinet retreat will be

01:15used to pressure and bully parliamentarians into endorsing Stuart

01:19Young as his successor. She calls on the people of Trinidad and Tobago to remain

01:24vigilant and ask the Prime Minister to call the election now. She vows her

01:30United National Congress government will lead this country back to prosperity and

01:34light. The future of Trinidad and Tobago she says depends on our collective

01:39resolve to demand accountability, transparency and strong leadership.