Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley has extended a formal invitation to Opposition Leader Kamla Persad Bissessar for both parties to hold bipartisan talks on crime. 

The move comes on the heels of last week’s call by President Christine Kangaloo for Parliamentarians to work together in the fight against crime. 

In the letter, published by the Office of the Prime Minister on Sunday, Dr. Rowley laid out the specific details of the proposed meeting. 

“The Government is also prepared to share with you its own ideas, programs and policies for inclusion in these discussions. It is envisaged that your proposal(s), like the Government’s, would include tools designed to lawfully confront the criminal elements that are increasingly emboldened, as they operate in Trinidad and Tobago. I propose that after receiving your proposal we establish teams comprising four (4) members each, from both the Government and the Opposition, to discuss the initiatives proposed. These teams will be guided by a crafted agenda formed from our joint submissions which I anticipate we could have in hand within the coming fortnight.”

He added, “I trust that my invitation will be received in the most positive way and that our teams could meet with the requisite spirit of collaboration and productivity that is required by the nature of this persistent problem which we all have been confronting for quite some time.”