The Candle Light Movement (CLM) on Tuesday roundly rejected the Prime Minister's claim that anti-crime vigils in February – in the wake of the murder of court clerk Andrea Bharatt – were responsible for the spike in covid19 cases. The movement in a strongly-worded press release called on Government to blame itself.
They said Dr Rowley's remarks on Monday in Parliament were "reprehensible, vile and callous."
The statement by CLM's public relations officer and attorney Candace Bharath, said the group had no political affiliation and was not funded by the Opposition UNC.
She lamented the PM had blamed a group using peaceful vigils to highlight citizens' outrage over crime including the rape, brutalisation and murder of innocent women, including Ashanti Riley,18, and 23-year-old Bharatt, 23.
All of these vigils would have gotten approval of the Police Commissioner.
Bharath alleged the Government has ignored the crime-linked issues of PH taxis and pepper spray, noting a 32-year-old woman was recently escaped abduction in a PH car.
"Further, it is appalling, but no surprise that the prime minister has sought to use the name of an innocent victim of murder (Bharatt) so callously, without care or any consideration for the damage of such statements to the family and loved ones of this victim who he used as his scapegoat for his government’s mishandling of the pandemic."
She said the CLM's last public vigil was in Chaguanas on March 12, following which the Ministry of Health on March 26 stated TT had (only) 217 active cases.
Bharath noted that on March 12, Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi attended a vigil in San Fernando held for murdered domestic violence victim Adeina Alleyne.
[caption id="attachment_886107" align="alignnone" width="476"] MURDERED: Courthouse clerk Andrea Bharatt. -[/caption]
She hit Government's refusal to secure TT borders from illegal Venezuelan immigrants, resulting in the deadly Brazilian variant entering the country. She quoted Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh, "The first case of the P1 variant was found in a Venezuelan migrant.”
She hit Rowley's Easter invitation to the nation.
"Despite the concerns of the Chief Medical Officer Dr Roshan Parasram who was allegedly concerned about increasing cases of covid19 positive cases in March, in blatant disregard for critical social distancing practices, the PM irresponsibly called upon citizens to flock to Tobago for the Easter weekend.
She said large crowds partied on beaches in Tobago, with no social distancing or masks. She noted Minister of Works and Transport Rohan Sinanan's announcement that over 50,000 people would have travelled during that week of the Easter, back and forth between the islands.
Unlike Rowley, Bharath said, no member of the CLM’s committee has tested positive for covid19, nor any of its volunteers.
Bharath said that on April 1, the ministry recorded 309 active cases, but on April 16 – two weeks after Easter – there were 712 active cases. The incubation period for covid19 is roughly two weeks.
She quo
