OPPOSITION Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar has struck back at the People’s National Movement (PNM) Women’s League, calling it hypocritical.
Responding to a release issued by the league which accused her of letting UNC Senator Anil Roberts to attack the name and reputation of Sharon Rowley, wife of the Prime Minister, Persad-Bissessar said that is not her business, nor the business of the league.
She asked where were the voices of condemnation when the PNM leader was making less than flattering remarks about her and other women on political platforms and forums.
At the United Congress (UNC) virtual platform on Monday night, Persad-Bissessar showed video and audio clips of some statements by the Prime Minister over a period of time at whch she took offence.
“What I cannot tolerate, and I think none of us should ever tolerate, is the unparalleled hypocrisy of the PNM. All of a sudden you all pretend to know about decency and decorum. Calling my name.”
After inviting the virtual and live audience to view the clips, she observed, “The hypocrisy of the PNM. When you have your leader degrading everyone in this country, you had nothing to say. Today you want to tell us about decency and decorum.
“Stop calling my name in your bacchanal and comess. I have nothing to do with that. I have nothing to do with anybody’s domestic business. Why are you blaming me?
“The Prime Minister is the man who said, ‘I am not in your bedroom’ – you all remember that? He told us, 'I am not in your bedroom.'
“Tonight, I tell the PNM Women’s League, stop focusing on creating division, stop masterminding political strife, stop the promotion of political biases and bacchanal and chaos."
Persad-Bissessar suggested the league should focus on people she said were suffering at the hands of the Rowley regime, and the many people who are missing, murdered women and children.
“Have they come out on a Monday morning to say something, or on a Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday? Not a day have they lifted their voices for the women or the children.”
She advised, “Focus on putting food on tables, not on bacchanal. Some rumours are circulating about somebody. That is not our business. Why are you getting into that business, Women’s League?
“The business for you and this government is to focus on the destruction that your leader is wreaking on the country.
“Focus on the fact that our women and girls continue to live in fear for their lives, and to date you cannot get access to anything like pepper spray.”
She questioned the rationale for stalling the passage of the pepper-spray law, asking how many more women and children must die before they have the right to protect themselves, children and families.
“Focus on the fact that members of your party were implicated in a paedophile ring – preying on children. PNM: paedophile national movement.
“Why don’t you focus on the thousands of families who are struggling to survive because your government failed to create jobs or diversify the economy, and cut social programmes?
“Focus on the fact that thousands of children are falling behind in education (and) their mental health is seriously affected because of government’s failure to provide for them.
“You have to take care of their education of our children, or this generation will forever be doomed because of the failure of this PNM government, in their future.”