Police and the PM's security detail had to give Persad-Bissessar safe passage from the HDC where she had gone to distribute keys to homes for dozens of people.
The farmers complained about the bulldozing of their lands over the Easter holidays and asked her to intervene to end the impasse. They also called for the dismissal from cabinet of Housing Minister Roodal Moonilal.
Persad-Bissessar has already said that the bulldozing of the lands was inappropriate and has asked Moonilal and Food Production Minister Vasant Bharath to meet with the farmers Thursday to try to resolve the matter.
In a media release on Thursday morning, Warner strongly condemned "the behaviour of the protesting mob of farmers who with indiscretion stooped to an all time low in deriding our beloved Prime Minister the Honourable Kamla Persad Bissessar."
He added, "This unprovoked behaviour disregards the empathy shown towards this group by the Honourable Prime Minister and reflects their lack of reason in seeing the broader picture.
"Clearly, theirs is a selfish motive and their intention to bully their way to achieve their own ends and agitate and incite each other to what end I cannot tell, will not be applauded. Their attempts to block the Prime Minister manifest the type of hooliganism that is resident within the group."
Warner, who said he was making the comments in his dual capacity as chairman of the United National Congress (UNC) and Minister of Works and Transport acknowledged that the farmers have a right to protest.
However he said "the decorum and the respect to which we have grown accustomed are no longer among us especially when this type of hooliganism is directed at a leader seeking justice and equity for all."
He added, "To think that this is coming from a group which illegally squatted on State lands and received all the instruments for removal and yet resisted the law is incomprehensible.
"This is a strange country where people with no rights of tenure can attempt to bully those in authority and threaten them with a vote." Warner made it clear that the government "will not be held hostage."
He said, "This cannot be allowed to happen and the farmers must understand that their presence on State lands is at the mercy of the government and under no circumstances will this government allow its leader to be bullied and harassed in the manner our Prime Minister was bombarded yesterday (Wednesday)."
He said there is a better way and urged the farmers to seek that path and "feed this country not only with physical food but also with moral and socially amenable behaviour."
He said the thuggery must stop and demanded "an apology from its leadership as we seek to put these unfortunate events behind us."
No comments:
Post a Comment