In 1990, Yasin Abu Bakr and the Jamaat-al-Muslimeen committed the most egregious act of barbarism against the Parliament and the people of Trinidad and Tobago. At that time, the Government of Trinidad and Tobago was their target. Fast forward 22 years and in a most improbable twist of fate, the same Parliament and people of Trinidad and Tobago are again under attack. This time, however, unbelievably, the attack comes not in the form of gun-toting extremists, but rather at the hands of the Government itself.

Based on the facts that are now squarely in the public domain, every rational, analytical and objective citizen in Trinidad and Tobago is forced to arrive at the unavoidable conclusion that the People's Partnership Government is guilty of highjacking the most sacred institutions of our democracy to serve its own criminal ends.

What is both saddening and insulting is the fact that the Government has the gall to insist you, I and every other citizen in this country are unintelligent buffoons! The issues regarding the infamous Section 34, for which the Government is being asked to account, are simple and straightforward. The Opposition, the public and other stakeholders simply wish to know truthfully:

1. Who are those responsible for deceiving the Parliament by changing the contents of the bill without due process and guiding the manipulated bill through to the Cabinet?

2. Why was there such urgency to proclaim this manipulated bill into law so as to break the accord made between the Government and the Parliament that the proper legal and administrative structures would first be put in place?

3. Why was this proclamation done as quietly and surreptitiously as it was?

4. How did certain people who made applications for reprieve under the bill have the ability to so efficiently do, given that the proclamation of the bill was not made public knowledge until much later?

Up to now, no truthful, verifiable answers to any of these questions have been forthcoming from the Government.

It is not unreasonable for any rational person to surmise that if in fact there was nothing to hide, the answers to these questions and any others that may have arisen would be forthcoming from the Prime Minister and other members of her Cabinet.

Instead, what the Government has elected to do is flagrantly disregard our calls for answers and engage in a propaganda campaign. That is tragic.

At this juncture, the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago have little interest in the past sins of the People's National Movement and have in fact adjudicated on those matters since May 24, 2010.

Even more tragic are the sycophantic tirades of those diehard United National Congress supporters and sympathisers who are so indelibly brainwashed in a manner reminiscent of Orwell's Animal Farm that they are incapable of separating sense from nonsense.

In its latest pathetic attempt to distract and mislead the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago, the People's Partnership has sought to commandeer extensive television airtime for the sole purpose of strolling down memory lane and bashing Keith Rowley and the PNM.

It is clear its desperate, self-serving strategy is to bombard the citizenry with its incessant propaganda, in the hopes of influencing the minds of the masses.

After all, it was the infamous Dr Joseph Goebbels who said "We do not want to be a movement of a few straw brains, but rather a movement that can conquer the broad masses. Propaganda should be popular, not intellectually pleasing. It is not the task of propaganda to discover intellectual truths".

Andre Burkett

St Augustine