Thousands of people took to the streets yesterday demanding the resignation of two senior government ministers as the fall out continues from the early proclamation of legislation that critics say was intended to ensure the freedom of two financiers of the coalition People’s Partnership government.
Armed with placards and demanding that Attorney General Anand Ramlogan and National Security Minister Austin “Jack” Warner be removed from the cabinet, the demonstrators, estimated by police at more than 35 000 marched through the streets culminating in a rally in the heart of the capital.
A police helicopter hovered overhead and there was a strong show of armed police along the route taken by the protestors.
The protest action had been organised by the Joint Trade Union Movement (JTUM), an amalgam of several of the leading trade union groups here, civil society groups including Fix It Trinidad and Tobago, the main opposition People’s National Movement (PNM) and the Movement for Social Justice (MSJ), the latter having earlier this year quit the coalition government of Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar over the controversial legislation and other issues.
Parliament last month repealed Section 34 of the Administration of Justice (Indictable Proceedings) Act that that had the effect of allowing people, whose trial has not started after a ten-year period to walk free and a verdict of not guilty entered against their names. (CMC)