00:00We are saying to this government to go so, with ZUSO or SOSO or whatever sort of bill you are
00:07coming with, to infringe upon all citizens' rights.
00:11Speaking at the PNM press conference on Saturday afternoon, Laventil West MP Karim Marcel voiced the opposition's concerns over the
00:20special operations bill currently before parliament.
00:23While it has been passed in the lower house, and according to government, only requires a simple majority, they called
00:30on the population to reject the bill.
00:32A closed area can be, and I want to repeat, a closed area can be a couple of streets, it
00:39can be a street, or it can be your home.
00:44Marcel also questioned why journalists are not among those specifically permitted access to closed areas, echoing concerns raised by the
00:53Media Association of Trinidad and Tobago.
00:56Of course, the media ought to have the authority to go into a closed zone, to be the fourth estate
01:04of Trinidad and Tobago, to go into these closed areas.
01:08And if there are any reports of police brutality, of soldiers' brutality, of air guards' brutality, whatever the case may
01:16be, the media should be able to access these closed areas and to report on things.
01:21The PNM says it wants the bill withdrawn and subjected to further consultation.
01:28We in the PNM are so sure that this thing is fundamentally flawed, that at this point our concern is
01:34that it is withdrawn, there's proper consultations.
01:37My next step is to meet with my constituents and mobilize them, mobilize them in a legal framework to let
01:49their voices and their feet be heard.
01:52We will first go on our knees, and then we'll rise from our knees and we'll be on our heels
01:59and toes, because we do not agree with this.
02:03Cindy Raguba, Chika Singh, TV6 News.
02:08Cindy Raguba, TV6 News.
Comments