As the administration of Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar heads to parliament for an extension of current state of emergency measures, labor unions and opposition parties are railing against the plan, saying that Trinidad and Tobago cannot be under a perpetual state of emergency measures to fight violent crimes.
Beset by gun crimes, abductions, carjackings, and other felony crimes, successive administrations have imposed state of emergency measures but opposition parties and civil society groups are beginning to question its effectiveness and for how long society must live under such restrictions.
The current three-month period expires on June 17. The prime minister says she will soon ask parliament for another three months to go along with 15 no-protest zones authorities imposed in the past week to curb civil society demonstrations. The zones ban public protests and assembly near state buildings such as the PM’s office, the finance ministry, parliament, and a string of others. Union leaders and opposition parties say that the country is now headed in the wrong direction with basic freedoms being restricted by authorities.
Reacting to the latest developments, the umbrella National Trade Union Centre (NATUC) has asked government to justify another three-month extension and the continued imposition of the no-protest zones, saying these restrict basic freedoms.
“The government must provide clear, transparent and compelling justification for any continuation of emergency powers. Any such measures must be necessary, proportionate, time-bound, transparent, accountable, and respectful of constitutional freedoms,” General Secretary Michael Annisette said in a statement. “NATUC therefore calls on parliament, all political parties, independent senators, civil society, religious bodies, and citizens of conscience to carefully scrutinize any proposed extension of the state of emergency.”
For this year so far, police have recorded 164 murders, just four fewer than the same period last year. The federation has been beset by gangland violence, weapons and human smuggling from nearby Venezuela in addition to drive-by shootings and home invasions. Since taking office 14 months ago, the current government has imposed two three-month SOE’s and is now headed for a third amid mounting opposition from several quarters.
For example, the main opposition People’s National Movement (PNM) argues that extensions are not to be treated as unlimited and should be used sparingly.
“It can’t be that you’re going to run a country with a perpetual state of emergency,’ opposition leader Pennelope Beckles told reporters this week. “If you have a reduction in crime, why would you want a State of Emergency? As an opposition, we have made it very clear about our willingness to work with the government. They have not at all indicated any support, even considering as it relates to that offer.”
Before losing office in general elections in April of last year, the PNM had also imposed emergency measures to help curb murder rates that had averaged around 600 annually.
The umbrella labor body says that societal norms must be allowed to exist, noting that “NATUC remains firm in its position: security and democracy must coexist. The protection of one must never become the sacrifice of the other.”
