Movement for Social Justice (MSJ) leader David Abdulah says Vernella Alleyne-Toppin’s “cesspit political strategy” to undermine Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley in Parliament has clearly backfired and will lead to the demise of the People’s Partnership Government. Speaking at a press conference at the MSJ’s San Fernando headquarters yesterday, Abdulah said Alleyne-Toppin’s rantings had defiled Parliament.
He said the entire Cabinet and the Prime Minister must be held accountable for bringing T&T’s politics to the “lowest low” and called for a “revolution of the minds” and an end to tribal politics which hinge on issues of race, ethnicity, gender, geography and class. “We condemn the cesspit into which the politics of T&T has clearly sunk. The statement on Wednesday by Vernella Alleyne-Toppin in the Parliament was a new low amongst many lows in the history of the recent politics of the country,” he said.
“It must be noted that her statement and other statements took place just hours after the second public launch of the Code of Ethical Political Conduct and the launch of the Council for Responsible Political Behaviour.”
Saying all traditional parties have been guilty of breaking the code, Abdulah said it is not only Alleyne-Toppin who should be condemned, as her tirade was sanctioned by the Leader of Government Business Dr Roodal Moonilal. Accusing the Government of using a pre-conceived but ill-conceived political strategy, he said it has clearly backfired and the Government now has to answer for their actions.
“The entire Government stands condemned. The Prime Minister cannot say she was not in the Parliament chamber when it happened. If she wasn’t there she should have immediately gotten up when she came back and condemned the statement, but she did not do that,” Abdulah said.
He added, “They need to man up and say to T&T that they did grievous harm not only to the Parliament, but to the wives, mothers and daughters who have been victims of rape. None of them can pull themselves out. It was a clearly agreed upon strategy by the Government in this parliamentary debate.”
Abdulah said Parliament was supposed to be a national institution where representatives are supposed to discuss, debate and pass legislation that would ensure the proper functioning of the country. “The Parliament was defiled and it demonstrates that the Speaker of the House failed to conduct the affairs of the House in accordance with what the House should be engaged in. It reconfirms the fact that the institutions of our State have collapsed,” Abdulah said.