By SEAN DOUGLAS Thursday, July 5 2012

OPPOSITION Leader Dr Keith Rowley has hit the silence and inaction by Prime Minister, Kamla Persad-Bissessar over Minister of National Security Jack Warner’s oversight of police and soldiers demolishing the Highway Reroute Movement’s camp at Debe, recently. Rowley was addressing a PNM rally at Bournes Road, St James, on Tuesday night.

He held Persad-Bissessar responsible for Warner whom she had appointed, but who was now exceeding his authority by allegedly commandeering the police and army.

Rowley said not only has the PM failed to say a word on the demolition, and that Warner has tried to protect her by saying she knew nothing of it.

Accusing Warner of trying to act like former police commissioner, the late Randolph Burroughs, at Debe, Rowley said, “What kind of Prime Minister allows this?”

If the Highways Act had been used to get a court order against the camp, then police would have acted under the order’s authority, rather that allegedly taking instructions from a politician on site, said Rowley. While polls show 80 percent of people backing Warner’s action at Debe, Rowley warned, “Go ahead and support foolishness, and when it gets on your doorstep, don’t call me. I’ll call you.” Rowley asked if the US and UK could work with Warner as Minister. He alleged a breach of the law by saying Warner had left TT for two weeks with no-one acting for him as Minister.

Rowley queried the Cabinet increase/reshuffle by saying research showed that smaller Cabinets are more efficient. He waited to hear what the Ministry of Diversity is all about, to justify the use of taxpayers’ dollars.

Rowley said that unlike official reports of 201 murders this year, his office has tallied 220 murders, he said. The police web-site was shut down after its crime figures belied comments from police top brass.

Later asked about ten murders in the past few days, he told reporters that the Government is trying to shift the focus from the bloodbath, by public relations actions such as the recent visit of basketball icon, Shaquille O’Neal, to launch the “Hoops of Life” project.