Global Black Voices: News from around the World
Laurel V Williams
Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister, Barry Padarath, has praised the Prime Minister for what he described as a strong, bold, and courageous stance in the face of mounting tensions with the Venezuelan government.
“For ten years, the PNM pussyfooted around the President of Venezuela and the issues that surrounded Venezuela as they related to the hydrocarbon sector and the relationship that TT has with Venezuela, but also the relationship one of our major trading partners, the US, has with Venezuela,” Padarath said.
“That is why I can say with certainty that all 26 members on the UNC bench and the two members with the TPP (Tobago People’s Party) throw our full support behind the Honourable Prime Minister.”
Padarath, who is also the Leader of Government Business in the House of Representatives, spoke to reporters at Indian Arrival Day celebrations on June 7 at the Couva South Multipurpose Hall on Camden Road, Couva.
He was responding to questions amid growing regional attention after Nicolás Maduro’s claim that an armed group attempted to enter Venezuela from TT with a cache of weapons of war. At a post-Cabinet press conference on June 5, Persad-Bissessar commented that the TT government had no evidence to support the claim that criminal elements had crossed into Venezuela from Trinidadian territory. She also warned that any illegal incursion into TT waters would be met with deadly force.
The Venezuelan government responded with surprise to Persad-Bissessar’s remarks, adding that among the detainees were people of Trinidadian origin allegedly involved in criminal activities.
Padarath added, “Mrs. Persad-Bissessar has indicated to the national community that she has spoken to the law enforcement agencies. She does not have information that supports the claims and allegations that have been made.”
“Therefore, in the absence of any cohesive information, she is within her right as the Prime Minister of a sovereign country to say that she will stand behind TT, and she is prepared to protect the interests of TT regardless of where those interests may lie, whether in the sphere of national security or economic security.” Padarath stressed the importance of protecting TT’s national sovereignty and maintaining balanced foreign relations, particularly with the US.
“The PM has indicated, through her words and her actions, that she will not be bullied. She will not be silenced.” Even as opposition leader, the now Prime Minister had been vocal in her criticism of the Maduro-led administration.
Former prime minister Dr Keith Rowley had repeatedly condemned Persad-Bissessar’s anti-Maduro remarks, highlighting broader geopolitical tensions in the region.
Padarath threw jabs at the opposition, adding that the new administration has taken a firm stance against the Maduro-led administration.
“We are not pussyfooting around the issue of the President seven miles across the waters. We are defining exactly what our relationship and thoughts are, and we have no intention of engaging in any conga line,” he said. “We are interested in boardrooms in terms of advancing the interests of the hydrocarbon sector, but also the sovereignty of the people of TT.”
Padarath is also the Public Utilities Minister and the Couva South MP.
On Saturday, Defence Minister Wayne Sturge and other top security officials met with their counterparts in law enforcement to discuss Venezuela’s claims.
Efforts to reach Sturge, Foreign Affairs Minister Sean Sobers and parliamentary secretary in the Foreign Affairs Ministry Nicholas Morris on June 8 were futile.
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