The Evidence Amendment Bill has been passed in the House of Representatives, with the Opposition joining with government to have the legislation approved with 40 votes in favor and zero abstentions.

In a statement shortly after casting her vote in the House on Friday, however, Opposition Leader Kamla Persad Bissessar said she remains unconvinced that the Bill will do anything to solve the issues facing the criminal justice system.

“The PNM Government has demonstrated complete incompetence and abject failure in dealing with the crime crisis plaguing our nation. Even though we remain unconvinced that this Bill will do anything to solve the pressing issues facing our criminal justice system, we in the Opposition supported the Bill so the Government could end its excuses and blame game on their total inaction to protect the citizens of our nation,” the Opposition leader said. 

“The Government must now begin delivering tangible changes within the criminal justice system to do the work needed to protect our citizens.” she added.