Questionable National Priorities

Date: January 31s 2018

Dear Editor/Newsroom,

The Bloomberg exposé has brought to light a dark reality that Fishermen and Friends of the Sea (FFOS) have been cautioned not to speak about. There are dangerous shipments and trans-shipment activities everywhere on our coasts. Our seamen are being robbed of their vessels and kidnapped for ransoms after being taken to a hidden bay in eastern Venezuela on the way to Guiria, in what has come to be known as “the Pig Farm”. The Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard have not responded to public calls on whether their radars or detection equipment are or have ever worked. The acquisition of this equipment was announced by the Panday Administration in 1997. Twenty years later our innocents are being murdered with heavy ammunition which comes across our borders daily. We are spending 400 Million TTD on the first arm of a 5 Billion TTD rural highway.

Do we have the 4.6 Billion TTD to complete this Highway at a time of harsh economic restructuring?

Will Dr Rowley explain what is his master plan for crime in the face of this Bloomberg Report? (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2018-01-30/venezuelan-pirates-rule-the-most-lawlessmarket-on-earth)

Will there ever be sustainable funding to manage this accelerating river of ammunition that in broad day light, is flowing through our unmanaged coastlines under the watchful eyes of the already fully financed Ministry of National Security?

Gary Aboud Corporate Secretary – FFOS