State of crime and condition of City South make Benjamin unfit for knighthood, deFreitas says

It is a disgrace that Attorney-General Steadroy “Cutie” Benjamin is to
be knighted, considering his dereliction of duty in the constituency
and the country on a whole, says Franz deFreitas, the United
Progressive Party (UPP) caretaker for St. John’s City South.
 
News broke on Wednesday, October 11, that the National Honours
Committee has agreed to bestow one of the country’s highest
honours on Benjamin, on November 1, Independence Day.

Many residents are of the opinion that Benjamin does not deserve
such recognition, and say his portfolios – justice and national
security – are in shambles. They point to the increasing crime rate,
with armed robberies and rapes occurring at an alarming rate, and
the state of the police stations and courts as evidence.

DeFreitas adds that even the constituency for which Benjamin has
been the parliamentary representative for more than three decades,
has been woefully neglected.
 
And no one can point to anything the MP has done in City South to
make the lives of constituents better, deFreitas charges.
 
As a matter of fact, the UPP caretaker says, the constituency is in a
dreadful condition – and yet Benjamin is being honoured.
 
Meanwhile, deFreitas says that Benjamin has little use for the people
– except to “sweeten them up” during an election period in order to
secure their votes.

This is how Benjamin has unfairly won the City South Seat and why
the constituency is in such a mess, the UPP caretaker says.