THE Prime Minister's address at the People's National Movement's (PNM) 50th annual convention took a mostly sombre, almost hostile tone.
Dr Keith Rowley spoke at length about the party and government's achievements, recent and historic, Rowley also focused extensively on the opposition, and major problems affecting society.
While Rowley minced no words when describing the country's reality, he said the government's fight against the country's number-one problem, crime, was not over.
"This year, we already have a record number of murders even though there is an overall decline in general criminal conduct," Rowley said.
This year's murder toll, 564 as of Sunday, had already surpassed TT's worst year on record (500 in 2018), by November 28.
The murder rate, the PM said, "is driven by the too-easy availability of firearms, gang engagement, turf protection and revenge killings.
"The police and other security agencies are permanently engaged in crime detection and suppression but clearly the current methods are not sufficiently robust enough to bring the level of safety and security that the population demand and deserves.
He said some have suggested rotating ministers or have politicised the crime-fighting efforts.
"All this will do, as it has been doing, is to embolden the criminals who believe that the rest of the country does not have what it takes to bring the lawlessness under control," Rowley said.
"This PNM government is not prepared to give up the fight against the criminal element," Rowley said, repeating himself for emphasis.
"We will continue to improve and use the whole-of-government approach by resourcing the security agencies so they can perform more effectively."
He said the government will also support the education system, community development, and sports programmes to "give people of all ages the opportunity to engage in positive activities for self-improvement and career development.
"We will continue to grow the economy so that job opportunities continue to become available, and we will encourage and support families to steer their siblings and progeny away from a life of crime and away from the clutches of the recruiters to a life of crime."
Rowley said the government will invest in border protection and improve the quality of TT's policing agencies "by weeding out corrupt and worthless officers from these various departments.
"(We will) resource and encourage the judicial system with more court and technical infrastructure and more judicial officers so that they can be more effective in dispensing justice on time as we take steps to improve the conditions and use of our prisons..."
Residential Youth Development and Apprentice Centres, Rowley announced, will be opened at old youth camps located in El Dorado, Chaguaramas, Wallerfield and other areas, where skills training will be available to at-risk and vulnerable youths.
"In short, youth camps are coming back," Rowley declared.
Rowley boasted of the government's social programmes and protection for vulnerable g
