OPPOSITION LEADER Kamla Persad-Bissessar says the announcement that Parliament will debate the Anti-Terrorism Bill next week came like a thief in the night.
Persad-Bissessar speaking with the media at the Nur-E-Islam mosque, El Socorro yesterday said she was notified on Thursday that the debate will begin next Wednesday. She added that a Joint Select Committee (JSC) report on the bill was not given to her as yet and therefore feels blindsided by the announcement. She said not all Muslims are terrorists and not all terrorists are Muslims.
Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi in January referred the Anti-Terrorism Bill to a JSC comprising eight members with a report to be submitted by March 31. The bill was first laid in Parliament last year. Al-Rawi, in delivering a statement in Parliament, stated that the bill seeks to target terrorist financing and activities, set out legislative mechanisms to meet international obligations and improve platform for TT’s contribution to fight against global terror.
Persad-Bissessar said since yesterday was a holiday, she was unable to retrieve a report from the JSC on the findings and may only be able to receive a copy of the report on Monday.