THE BENEFIT TO T&T OF BEING FRIENDLY WITH MADURO

The internet news site MSN is today reporting that the Government of the United States is accusing President Nicholas Maduro of enriching himself by working with criminal gangs, organized crime and terror groups. The commander of the US Southern Command based in Miami, Admiral Craig Faller is reported as saying "We're seeing an increase in drug trafficking placed out of Venezuela that is aided and abetted by the illegitimate Maduro regime.In fact, the Maduro regime has a negative impact on every single security aspect in this hemisphere. All the challenges are made worse by the Venezuelan crisis." He went on to say that the Maduro Government is getting rich through drug trafficking! "There's over a 50 percent increase of narcotrafficking in and through Venezuela, and Maduro and his cronies are lining their pockets, in cahoots with the illicit narcotrafficking," Faller said.


Okay. This is hardly news to many who believe that this has been going on for some time. But a serious charge, such as this, ought to make those currently in charge of Trinidad & Tobago's own security sit up and take notice ... especially when it comes from such a high ranking source. You see, the Rowley regime has not only continued to recognize the Maburro regime ... I'm sorry, I mean the Maduro regime ... but continues to do business with it. And in the meantime our own crime rate in T&T seems to be soaring through the roof. Everybody (and I mean everybody) knows someone who has either personally been a victim of a crime or who has had a family member, robbed, raped or murdered! That is an alarming fact! And we all know that a lot of "small" crimes simply aren't being reported because the police simply do not do anything about them. Sad, eh?


I have a client who runs a marina in Chagaramus. He tells me that assault rifles and very high powered weaponry is coming across the Gulf of Paria from Venezuela in small boats almost every day! And, he says, they are coming across in crates!! Crates!!


But while our crime rate spirals out of control our Government continues to do business with the Venezuelan Donkey who is nothing if not a thug and a terrible crook! Why?  There is an old saying about 'show me your friends and I'll tell you who you are'. So I say to Messrs. Rowley, Moses, Young et al, exactly who are YOUR friends? And why are we still doing business with Maburro? (And don't tell me because he is the legitimate leader of Venezuela when we all know that he is not. He is an illegal dictator.) Is he your friend? What benefit exactly are we getting from being friendly with this crook? There are many more questions, but if at least we could get an answer to what is listed here we might be better able to understand why it is in our interests to support this thug!


P.S. And to the Donkey, I challenge you to sue me for defamation in the Trinidad Courts of law for calling you a crook, etc. . May I remind you that if you do, you will have to submit yourself to cross-examination and that the truth is an absolute defence!  So come, if your name is man!!