The Black Power revolution, also known as the Black Power movement 1970, saw the death of a protester, Basil Davis, who was killed by the police. The tension was the underlying cause of riots, protests, and an army mutiny for the end of foreign influence over the economy. These events prompted a state of emergency which lasted for two years. This was under the tenure of then Prime Minister Dr Eric Williams.
The attempted coup carried out by the Jamaat al Muslimeen, led by Yasin Abu-Bakr, saw another state of emergency imposed on our country in 1990. This was a situation where 42 insurgents stormed the Red House and took the then Prime Minister ANR Robinson and most of his Cabinet hostage, while 72 of their compatriots attacked the offices of Trinidad and Tobago Television (TTT). It was then the only television station in the country and the Trinidad Broadcasting Company, one of only two radio stations in the country.
In 1995, the PNM appointed Occah Seapaul as Speaker of the House of Representatives. She suspended Kenneth Valley, Leader of Government Business in the Lower House, Cabinet minister and Member of Parliament for Diego Martin Central. But Seapaul overstepped her limits in the eyes of the PNM, which had formed the government of the day. Her power was broken via a limited state of emergency and house arrest. Today, for the first time in our country's history, there is a state of emergency that has been imposed to aid in the fight against crime.
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar's announcement came in response to 11 murders in just over 24 hours. A massacre which was taking place in our country prompted the People's Partnership Government to invoke Section 8 of the Constitution, which we consider an important legal tool. In 2004, murders were at 260 at year's end. By 2005 it had jumped to 386. In 2008, murders skyrocketed to 550 by the end of the year, 2009 saw 509 and 2010, 485. In a country with a population of just over 1.3 million people, these figures are unacceptable.
The People's Partnership Government came into office with a mantra of "change." Failure to have acted would have constituted a breach of its campaign promise and manifesto to arrest the crime situation. In the last year much legislation has been implemented. The Bail Amendment Act, Anti-Gang Act, Firearms Amendment Act, Miscellaneous Provisions (Remand) Act have all been proclaimed and now sit as part of the country's laws. It was, however, not sufficient in dealing with a condition that was allowed to get out of hand for so long.
The Opposition PNM, that is trying to reorganise itself after the horrendous castration it underwent under its former leader, has not been very supportive of the initiative. This from a political party which, while in government, wasted taxpayers' money and failed to make any dent in the criminality that plagues us now as a nation. Operation Baghdad, Operation Anaconda, the eye in the sky, SAUTT, blimp, community leaders' dinners and Mastrofski are among the failed crime-fighting projects of the previous government. It was only this week that Ken Gordon said a state of emergency in T&T was long overdue. In 2003, Mr Gordon had presented a report on crime to the Patrick Manning administration recommending a state of emergency following a spate of kidnappings in the country.
After weighing the pros and cons of such an action, the then government decided against it for three reasons-disruption to the economy, T&T's international reputation, and social dislocation. Mr Gordon, a well-respected senior citizen, reiterated that it should have been done a long time ago. One of the criticisms faced was the lack of consultation by the Government with the business community. Mr Gordon gave a most appropriate answer to this when the question was posed: "It would be of tactical advantage to get people off-guard. But what we are talking about is human life and saving lives. And getting guns out of the system."
This idea of a curfew that many find to be an inconvenience is nothing new. The people who live in these "hot-spot" areas can testify to self-imposed curfews. These law-abiding citizens have converted their homes into virtual prisons so as to escape the criminal elements. For too long the tentacles of criminals have crept into every nook and cranny and finally they are being picked up one by one. It is no time to condemn an idea that seeks to restore T&T to a place where citizens can feel safe and secure. While we forsake some of our constitutional rights, we must remember the days when those rights were taken away by the criminals: the right to live, the right to property, the right to safety. The time has come for those constitutional rights to be restored to one and all in our country.
THOUGHTS
• Failure to have acted would have constituted a breach of its campaign promise and manifesto to arrest the crime situation.
• This idea of a curfew that many find to be an inconvenience is nothing new. The people who live in these "hot-spot" areas can testify to self-imposed curfews.
• It is no time to condemn an idea that seeks to restore T&T to a place where citizens can feel safe and secure.
• Satnarayan Maharaj is the
secretary general of the
Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha