(Trinidad Express) Soldiers entering the scrap iron yards came upon an underground bunker that held 80,000 gallons of diesel, bought at the subsidised price but meant for export illegally.
This disclosure was made by Housing Minister Roodal Moonilal yesterday, who noted that the persons involved were “making money off the taxpayer”.
Moonilal was speaking during the debate in the House of Representatives on the motion to extend the State of Emergency.
Noting that the PNM MPs had made an issue of the search of the Beetham scrap iron yards, Moonilal said the bunker may have been there for some time but the conditions where the army had certain powers under the Emergency regulations allowed them to find it. “They went looking for articles but when you go looking for guns and ammunition, you would confront other illegal activities and you discover 80,000 gallons of diesel stored under a scrap heap,” he said.
For years, citizens have spoken out on the illegal exportation of diesel and have called on Government to clamp down on this trade.
Moonilal said many scrap iron yards were illegal and some hid weapons.
He said he was shocked when he heard the PNM MPs talking about where the guns were entering the country, where the illegal trade in ammunition was and where the marijuana fields were. “In fact members were queuing up to tell us the hot spots, some with envy that their areas deserved a lockdown…where was that intelligence before May 2010 when a Cabinet colleague of yours who has become the patron saint of insecurity, Martin Joseph..(was in office)?” Moonilal asked.
He said Diego Martin North/East MP Colm Imbert in particular “had a panoramic view of all criminal activities and where they were happening”, whether it was in Tunapuna, Moruga or Cedros.
Noting that the PNM was calling on Government to go after the “big fish”, Moonilal said sometimes one saw people in “jacket and tie….and when you open their briefcase, all it have is a newspaper and a piece of roti”.
“The kingpins don’t always wear Armani suits, or drive luxury cars, because they want to stay off the radar,” he said. Moonilal said the PNM all of a sudden knew where “big fish” living. He said Manning boasted in 2005 that he knew where “Mr Big” was but five years later in 2010 the PNM left office without getting a “big fish”. Moonilal said the last “big fish” was caught and persecuted in the late 1990s and they (Dole Chadee and his gang) were executed.
He said the PNM did not speak of the victims in the debate, even though many of them were from PNM constituencies. “Today we act on behalf of those citizens who desire to live in peace,” he said.
On the argument that the State of Emergency was aimed at putting a damper on trade union activity, Moonilal said if the members of the trade unions wanted to coddle themselves and think that in their self-importance the state of emergency was called because of them that was fine “but a boy scout club could also have said that”. We said despite the state of emergency there was industrial action at Santa Flora, Petrotrin and there was even fasting. “I think they miss lunch one day,” he said jocularly.
Moonilal said the PNM called a State of Emergency to lock up one person (former speaker Occah Seapaul). “They had a little lady drinking coconut water for five days on Mary Street,” he said. Quoting from the Hansard in that debate (relating to declaration of the state of emergency in August 1995), Moonilal said when the point was made that Seapaul had no food in the house during that period, one PNM member said: “If the Speaker knew she had no food, she should have behaved herself.”
“Who was that?” Government MPs asked. “Dr Keith Rowley!” Moonilal said emphatically. “What! Shame! Shame!” Government members chorused. “And today we hearing (from the PNM) about the rights of prisoners.”
