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THE EDITOR: Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s remarks during the state visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi should concern every citizen who remembers what she said not so long ago.
On September 9, 2024, speaking at a UNC event, Persad-Bissessar claimed that “over 5,000 of our citizens died” and accused the Ministry of Health of distributing “a fake vaccine.” She went further, attacking chief medical officer Dr Roshan Parasram by name and criticising the award of the Order of the Republic of TT (ORTT) to him. She used the word “shameless” to describe that national honour.
Yet on July 3, the same Persad-Bissessar stood on a stage and praised Indian Prime Minister Modi’s role in the global vaccine rollout. She called his efforts “benevolence,” “kinship,” and “an act of love.” She said he brought “hope and calm where there was fear.” And she presided over the awarding of our country’s highest honour – the ORTT – to Modi, specifically citing his vaccine diplomacy during the pandemic.
No reflection. No clarification. No apology.
This is not a matter of political spin – it is a direct contradiction. The same vaccination campaign she once demonised as deadly and deceitful has now become the basis for her public adoration of another world leader. And while she is free to evolve her position, the absence of honesty and accountability speaks volumes.
It takes a certain kind of political instinct to show this level of reversal with a straight face. As Shakespeare wrote: “O shame! where is thy blush?”
We are all entitled to our opinions. Leaders, though, owe us consistency – or at the very least, explanations.

MICHAEL E DHANNY

via e-mail
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