Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar condemned the behaviour of PNM Political Leader Pennelope Beckles – Robinson, other PNM Members of Parliament and their supporters for the ‘abuse’ of Minister of Culture and Community Development Michelle Benjamin and UTT Chairman Selwyn Cudjoe over the Emancipation weekend. The Prime Minister calls their behaviour ‘disgusting’, ‘hateful’, ‘racist’, and ‘divisive’.
Read her full statement below:
THE PNM MPS AND OWNERS BELIEVE THAT DESTROYING AFRO TRINIDADIANS SUPPORTIVE OF THE UNC AND SPREADING COOLIE HATRED IS A GOOD POLITICAL STRATEGY.
The PNM MPs, owners and supporters’ idea of celebrating Emancipation Day was to denigrate, humiliate and tear down Indo and Afro Trinidadians who don’t support their political party. This version of the PNM under Penelope Beckles is the most hateful racist and divisive. What they did to Michelle Benjamin and Selwyn Cudjoe over the emancipation weekend is disgusting.
This sick version of the PNM mobilized and encouraged their supporters to curse, insult, and abuse UNC officials during emancipation day celebrations and thus denigrate and desecrate the holiday. Last night a number of PNM persons contacted me to condemn the behavior of their party and to disassociate themselves from Penelope Beckles and the current leadership of the PNM. The PNM MPs and their supporters are so hateful and deranged that they will try the same thing again on Independence Day and humiliate themselves once more.
The members of the emancipation support committee sat on that stage in POS and looked on non-bothered as the PNM supporters abused and humiliated Michelle Benjamin and never spoke up to stop it. That is how they celebrated Emancipation Day by allowing PNM political hacks to abuse a young brilliant hardworking and kind Afro Trinidadian daughter.
Michelle was allowed to be abused because they did not see her as a representative of the African community but instead saw her as my daughter. They believed that if they couldn’t attack me the next best thing was to abuse my daughter Michelle.
Similarly, Selwyn Cudjoe was attacked because the PNM MPs, owners, and supporters do not see him as a strong, respected Afro Trinidadian elder who has dedicated his life’s work to the uplifting of all people of this country; he was attacked because he is my friend.
I don’t care if the PNM MPs, owners and supporters insult and call me a stinking coolie but Michelle Benjamin and Selwyn Cudjoe are wonderful people who were viciously attacked because the PNM believes that spreading coolie hatred and destroying Afro Trinidadians supportive of the UNC is a political strategy