00:00This Criminal Records Rehabilitation Offenders Bill 2026 acknowledges the potential for rehabilitation and renewal among our citizens.
00:10And Mr. Speaker, everyone on this side agrees with that concept. Every one of us on this side.
00:17Opposition MP and former Education Minister Dr. Nyan Gatsby-Dawley, as she said,
00:23it was an honor to be able to stand in the House of Representatives and contribute to the debate on
00:29what she thinks is a very important piece of legislation.
00:32However, the opposition MP expressed concerns as she called on the government to reopen certain state-funded programs it had
00:40closed.
00:41In the one year, there has been a total shutdown of these programs, Mr. Speaker.
00:47Where are our young people? Where are our young people to get the opportunity for positive engagement to stop them
00:55from getting into the prison?
00:57To stop them from getting into skirmishes? To stop them from getting into a position where they will need to
01:03have their records expunged?
01:05And therefore, if you're not doing that, if you're not allowing our young people opportunities for development,
01:14then you are basically allowing them and leading them into a life of crime, Mr. Speaker.
01:19Defense Minister Wayne Sturge later offered the government's response.
01:24We know now that these programs are not for the benefit of anybody, but the former government.
01:32For them monetarily, not for their supporters. They don't care about their supporters.
01:39So we are not bringing back programs to fill anybody's pocket here or in the other place.
01:45We are bringing programs and we are bringing initiatives that would actually work to help the people of this country.
01:52MP Gatsby Dolly stood strongly in defense of the party to which she belongs,
01:57which is now in opposition and had been in government for almost 10 years.
02:02Mrs. Speaker, continuity of policy is important. It is important.
02:08And it is the only way a country can really progress.
02:12So it is clear that the PNM was progressive in our legislative agenda, progressive in our planning.
02:18And it is to the UNC's credit that you are following the plans that we put in place.
02:22Good legislation must be brought to the parliament.
02:24You met it there and you brought it.
02:26Kudos to the UNC and we, the PNM, are happy to support good PNM legislation as we have to do.
02:33The defense minister defended the record of the party he belongs to,
02:37including its first year in government since the 2025 general elections.
02:43This was their idea, they say.
02:46And they want to say it was their idea and we are now capitalizing on their goodwill.
02:56But if this was their idea for six years now, or seven, or how many ever, why you didn't bring
03:03it?
03:04What's so hard in bringing it in six or seven years that we could just in less than one year
03:10bring it?
03:11One year now.
03:12Defense Minister Sturge did not stop there.
03:15If NGC makes profit, it's them do it.
03:20If crime goes down, it's them do it.
03:25They said, and I remember Portisbury South in particular talking about that,
03:29because the point was, murders reduced by 42 percent.
03:34And they said, you know what, that was the result of their 10 years of planning.
03:39So 10 years of planning, the murder rate never inched down.
03:43But the minute they're out of office and we're in office, it dropped down by 42 percent.
03:48The bill to allow for certain convictions to be expunged under specific circumstances
03:53was passed by the lower house via the government's majority on Wednesday night.
03:59Jewel Brown, TV6 News.
04:01Jewel Brown, TV6 News.
04:01Jewel Brown, TV6 News.
04:04Jewel Brown, TV6 News.
04:04And the waterary rate, there's aльver that has brought, as many of them to be made of most of his
04:05children's salary.
04:05And, of course, I guess we're going to do it.
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