00:00Former Prosecutor at the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and a former UNC Senator, Jayanti Lochmedia-Ramdiel, says
00:08she is encouraged by steps being taken by the government to address long-standing issues affecting the country.
00:15She notes that while some have criticized the Prime Minister's relationship with the United States, the country requires international cooperation
00:24to confront challenges such as gun trafficking, drugs and gang activity.
00:30Whether you like Donald Trump or not should not affect your, I think, your critical thinking on a matter like
00:38this, that the United States is perhaps the best-placed nation to assist us when it comes to maritime and
00:45border security.
00:46We need it. I firmly believe that we need the help that we, you know, to help with that drug
00:54trafficking and gun trafficking problem that we have experienced that has blown our crime rate out of proportion.
01:01Luchmedia-Ramdiel also addresses concerns over the closure of the Unemployment Relief Program and CPEP, acknowledging fares over job losses.
01:10However, the attorney at law tells the morning edition, long-standing allegations of corruption within the program are true.
01:18There was corruption which intelligent person in this country has not complained about the corruption that was existing in these
01:28programs.
01:28So it may have been a difficult decision to have to stop these programs and to reformat them and to
01:35find alternative ways to create employment for people who are, you know, in the lower socioeconomic brackets and so on.
01:43But it was a sensible decision.
01:44The attorney and former senator also commented on the opposition's response to the current state of emergency and the ZUSO
01:52bill.
01:52I know that the opposition has a job to do, but they have a credibility problem because a lot of
01:58them who are there, particularly in the Senate, would have advocated vociferously for very, very intrusive powers to deal with
02:09the crime situation.
02:10And they themselves would have stood up and argued about the proliferation of gangs.
02:16She believes more consideration should have been given to the Zones of Special Operations bill.
02:22Nicole M. Romany, TV6 News.
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