Utter madness!

That’s how former national security minister and current PNM chairman Marvin Gonzales described the Government’s decision to cancel the annual Independence Day Parade and official functions and replace them with a National Day of Prayer and Reflection.

A media release from the Ministry of Homeland Security yesterday stated that the decision was taken “after careful deliberation on intelligence arising out of the state of emergency”. The release cited as a precedent that it was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid-19 related public health concerns.