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UNC shadow attorney general and legal affairs minister MP Saddam Hosein said the motion of no confidence brought against National Security Minister Stuart Young is a way of getting an immediate solution to the issue of bringing stranded nationals home.
Speaking at the first of the Opposition’s weekly media briefings on Sunday, Hosein said the motion, which could be debated on January 29 as part of Private Members’ Day in the House of Representatives, was filed by Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar to “express the country’s disgust, disappointment and disapproval of Young as the National Security Minister.”
He said the motion was based on Young’s non-performance in his role as minister.
“The country can’t bear the weight of his incompetence any more. The motion was made because of his arrogant, cruel, inhumane, discriminatory and unconstitutional use of power as minister. He has failed to keep the country and its citizens safe. He has locked down the airports but all borders still open to illegal immigrants, and even when asked, he still did not tell us which law he is using to lock out citizens from TT. He has allowed Venezuelan crisis to go unchecked and placed TT in a very bad place.”
Hosein said Government was bypassing Parliament to pass laws to lock down the country. He said the UNC was using the Parliament as well as the courts to ventilate the issues of the citizens.
“We see legal notices come with the signature of the minister of health, without parliamentary discussion or approval. We must be careful not to marginalise the Parliament and have just a judicial and executive branch.”
For those wondering why the Opposition had not taken the matter to court, Hosein said former attorney general Anand Ramlogan and Senator Jayanti Lutchmedial had filed a constitutional motion in the high court.
He said, “It alleges that the decision by the government to continue to lock out our nationals from TT is illegal and unconstitutional and will be attacked on four constitutional rights which relates to the rights of movement, not be exiled from your country and two other constitutional rights. It will take time to get the court’s decision so this is why we have brought the motion against Young to get an immediate solution to bringing stranded nationals home.”
Hosein may have been referring to a case challenging the government's border policy on behalf of Takesiha Clairmont, a diabetic mother who was stranded in the British Virgin Islands from March to September, whose case was first brought to court on November 20, 2020.
'PNM PRO should be ashamed'
Hosein also said party groups and agents were also defending the minister. He noted that PNM PRO Laurel Lezama-Lee Sing had made the statement that the PNM stood behind Young while distributing laptops in Young’s constituency.
“It is shameless that a minister who has recused himself 57 times from the Cabinet is giving out old and used laptops to his constituents. I heard even the constituents were offended and found that Laurel was out-of-place for making those comments in that forum."
He then made a direct statement to Lezama-Lee Sing,
“Laurel Lezama-Lee Sing, before you address and attempt to defend Minister Young, let us know whether you will be paying back the $500,000 you benefited from in a scholarship via cheque or cash to the government. Until you answer those questions first, then you will have any moral authority to speak on national issues. Let us know where the money has gone for the $2.5 million rope, and if you have nothing better to say, you are out of timing and please stay in your lane.”
Hosein was speaking about a release sent out by the UNC which said that the PNM PRO “received almost $500,000 from the PNM’s “secret scholarships” from the Ministry of Culture to study for her LLB (Law and Politics) at the University of Westminister in London "and she did not even graduate.
"Lezama-Lee Sing must not only apologise to the country, but she must repay the taxpayers of this country every cent of that dishonestly obtained and dishonestly employed scholarship money.”
In a response on Sunday, Lezama-Lee Sing said legal action would be taken against people who made certain statements about her.
In a brief statement on her Facebook page, Lezama-Lee Singh said, "I have taken note of the untrue, defamatory statements made about me, written, recorded and uttered by Kirk Meighoo and others in the UNC. The matter is now in the hands of my attorneys, and legal action will be taken."
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