00:00Prime Minister Kamala Pesod-Besasa has strongly criticized those opposing the Zones of Special Operations Bill,
00:08describing them as weak men and women, whose actions, she says, amount to the defense of violent criminals.
00:15In a statement issued amid ongoing debate on the legislation, the Prime Minister accused the PNM
00:22and what she termed pseudo-independent groups of suddenly finding sympathy for criminals,
00:28while remaining silent on the impact of crime on ordinary citizens.
00:34She argued that critics have failed to speak out against robberies, rapes, murders, home invasions
00:39and the long-term traumas suffered by victims and their families.
00:44According to the Prime Minister, victims of violent crime often live with depression, anxiety and constant fear,
00:51with families broken, children scarred for life and in some cases, lives lost to suicide.
00:57She questioned why there is little public outrage, she says, over citizens being forced from their homes by gangsters,
01:05children living under self-imposed curfews in hotspot communities and families facing extortion, rape and intimidation.
01:13The Prime Minister maintained that while opponents debate civil liberties and rhetoric,
01:19the daily reality for many citizens is fear, fear of gangs, fear of violence and fear of retaliation for refusing to comply with criminal demands.
01:29She insisted the government's priority is a protection of law-abiding citizens,
01:33stating that criminals prey on fear and that her administration intends to reverse that dynamic.
01:39Declaring, quote-unquote, your government sees you, the Prime Minister pledged that the state will continue to take firm action
01:46against violent criminals in the interest of public safety.
01:50Ravishit Awari, Rupanarayan, TV6 News.
Comments