Remove Stuart Young from Office
Remove Stuart Young from Office
The Issue
If we accept the word of National Security Minister Stuart Young that he was “not aware of the composition of the delegation or the aircraft” which landed from Venezuela for a meeting with the Prime Minister on March 27, then we must conclude that Minister Young is guilty of a level of negligence that is dangerous to the well-being of Trinidad and Tobago.
As an experienced attorney who would know that ignorance is no excuse, Minister Young should now do the honourable thing and resign for the incompetence that has thrown the country onto the warpath between the United States and Venezuela, thereby placing the nation’s security at risk.
Within the past month alone, he antagonised the government of Barbados to the point where it was forced to issue a public statement of concern; he covertly introduced private security into policing until public opinion forced the Prime Minister to instruct that the contracts be terminated; he publicly encouraged the army to exercise authority that it did not have; and his insensitive management in dealing with groups of anxious citizens trapped abroad fuelled unnecessary hostility which put the public at each other’s throat.
On September 19 last year, the population was kept in the dark when Stuart Young, Minister of National Security made an unannounced and brief trip to Venezuela to meet President Nicolas Maduro, presumably as Dr Rowley’s proxy.
The next day, the Office of the Prime Minister issued a statement disclosing no details of the meeting apart from saying it covered matters of national security and energy and that Minister Young had met with President Nicolas Maduro and a delegation that included seven ministers including Delcy Rodriguez, then the Minister for Internal Relations, Justice and Peace and Manuel Quevedo, Minister of Energy. Neither Energy Minister Franklin Khan nor Foreign Affairs Minister Dennis Moses had accompanied Minister Young.
The Government’s unwillingness to be forthright and to disclose details of the September 19 and March 27 high-level meetings fits a pattern of secrecy regarding T&T’s energy dealings with Venezuela which has now placed this country in jeopardy.
As the Government’s key figure in creating this mess, Minister Young must accept responsibility.
He must go now.
4,255
The Issue
If we accept the word of National Security Minister Stuart Young that he was “not aware of the composition of the delegation or the aircraft” which landed from Venezuela for a meeting with the Prime Minister on March 27, then we must conclude that Minister Young is guilty of a level of negligence that is dangerous to the well-being of Trinidad and Tobago.
As an experienced attorney who would know that ignorance is no excuse, Minister Young should now do the honourable thing and resign for the incompetence that has thrown the country onto the warpath between the United States and Venezuela, thereby placing the nation’s security at risk.
Within the past month alone, he antagonised the government of Barbados to the point where it was forced to issue a public statement of concern; he covertly introduced private security into policing until public opinion forced the Prime Minister to instruct that the contracts be terminated; he publicly encouraged the army to exercise authority that it did not have; and his insensitive management in dealing with groups of anxious citizens trapped abroad fuelled unnecessary hostility which put the public at each other’s throat.
On September 19 last year, the population was kept in the dark when Stuart Young, Minister of National Security made an unannounced and brief trip to Venezuela to meet President Nicolas Maduro, presumably as Dr Rowley’s proxy.
The next day, the Office of the Prime Minister issued a statement disclosing no details of the meeting apart from saying it covered matters of national security and energy and that Minister Young had met with President Nicolas Maduro and a delegation that included seven ministers including Delcy Rodriguez, then the Minister for Internal Relations, Justice and Peace and Manuel Quevedo, Minister of Energy. Neither Energy Minister Franklin Khan nor Foreign Affairs Minister Dennis Moses had accompanied Minister Young.
The Government’s unwillingness to be forthright and to disclose details of the September 19 and March 27 high-level meetings fits a pattern of secrecy regarding T&T’s energy dealings with Venezuela which has now placed this country in jeopardy.
As the Government’s key figure in creating this mess, Minister Young must accept responsibility.
He must go now.
4,255
The Decision Makers
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Petition created on 17 May 2020