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Opposition Leader Pennelope Beckles has called on the Government to explain its decision to cancel this year’s Independence Day Military Parade, describing the move as “an affront to our independence, democracy and national identity.”

In a media release issued on Friday, Beckles said the announcement has left citizens “bewildered” and accused Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar of withholding the truth from the public.

Beckles noted that just days earlier, the Prime Minister had assured the population that crime was down and the country was safer, yet the parade, traditionally held on August 31, was cancelled two weeks in advance.