State of Emergency in Trinidad and Tobago: Prime Minister Keith Rowley Responds to Legal Challenge
Prime Minister’s Remarks
We have been impacted in the last few months by the wilds and misbehavior of a small minority. People… we call criminals and call themselves by various other names, but the bottom line is that the actions of such persons…pose risks to all of us in Trinidad and Tobago.
Escalating Criminal Conduct
I speak here specifically of their escalating criminal conduct, violent crime, expressed in frequent murders in Trinidad and Tobago largely operated by persons who operate as groups, gangs under a kind of leadership and from…all over the country and in some cases where they are bold enough to seize territory and to exclude law enforcement from those arrangements’.
Targeting a Small Minority
Rowley insisted that a “small number of people” are engaged in the “most anti-social of human actions, killing other human beings or taking actions against other human beings that could result in killings, and they do not care.” He said that what the country was dealing with on Friday night, when criminal gangs were engaged in killings in front of a police station in the capital, was that the authorities had also received “information of retaliatory actions” that would “more than likely occur in the days to follow.
Government’s Response
The government decisively, and that matter is now in the hands of the police officers and all the security agencies on the state’s payroll. We don’t look to the doctors, the nurses, or the priests to do that. And I want to point out that as they do this job, they put their lives on the line, and for the uncaring ones that do not have a caring word to say about them…just think about them, their families when they go out there to confront those killers.
Parliament to Debate SoE Extension
Rowley also announced that Parliament would meet on Monday to debate an extension of the SoE, adding, “We have to convince the Parliament to get an extension of the SoE” for the next three months and no more than six months going forward.
Economic Impact
We have done all along by not going down that road. We were always concerned about the negative side of the state of emergency, and when, on this occasion, we decided we had to use the SoE, we also sought then to protect the public interest by not putting the public under any curfew because we do not believe that the curfew adds much more.
State of Emergency Tribunal
Meanwhile, the acting Chief Justice, Nolan Bereaux, has appointed three senior attorneys to the SoE tribunal. Deborah Peake, SC, was appointed chairman of the tribunal, which also includes Ian Benjamin, SC, and Lee Merry, SC.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Prime Minister’s remarks highlighted the government’s commitment to addressing the escalating criminal conduct in Trinidad and Tobago and the measures being taken to protect the public and the economy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the purpose of the state of emergency?
A: The state of emergency is aimed at dealing with a minority of the population engaged in criminal activities.
Q: How will the government ensure the economy is not severely affected?
A: The government will take steps to protect the public interest and ensure the economy is not severely affected.
Q: How will the government address the concerns of small and medium-sized businesses?
A: The government will work to minimize the impact on small and medium-sized businesses, which may be affected by the curfew.
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