After 24 hours of speculation, questions, doubts and deep concerns, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and Commissioner of Police Dwayne Gibbs have come forward with statements about the alleged assassination plots against "members of my Government and myself."Understandably, the Commissioner could not give details at this time about the plot but he did say that a dozen people or so have been arrested and it must be presumed are being questioned by the police to get from them the elements of the plot. Most importantly, those said to be behind the conceiving of this alleged attempt to kill the Prime Minister and the Attorney General.
The Prime Minister made it quite clear that her conclusion, and one would have to say by extension the security forces have concluded, that the plot has arisen because the state of emergency and curfew have made a serious impact on drug-related activities. She noted that $1.5 billion worth of illegal drugs were seized during the period of the SoE, with over 13,000 rounds of ammunition and 173 guns taken off the streets.The point being made is that the drug dealers and other kinds of criminals are deadly serious about their dastardly operations and would be prepared to do what they consider necessary to prevent any further incursions into their operations.
Internationally, it is well-known that drugs traffickers "take no prisoners" to ensure their multi-billion dollar industry is not in any way interfered with. Heads of government who they perceive as being the enforcers of the anti-drug operations are not exempt.Therefore any assassination plot against the head of Government and her ministers cannot be taken lightly. Of course we will have to await further investigations and the unfolding of the plot as discovered and being monitored by the police to comment further on the seriousness of the allegation.But one of the really encouraging aspects of the news conference was the revelation by the Prime Minister that she had a conversation on the matter with the Leader of the Opposition, Dr Keith Rowley.
Moreover, that he will be fully briefed on the plot by the Commissioner of Police and therefore be engaged in a constructive manner in the national interest.In addition to demonstrating that the Government is taking seriously the responsibility of the duly elected Opposition, taking the Leader of the Opposition into the confidence of the Government and security forces on such a major issue guards against the possibility of opposition for the sake of opposition.In this respect, the Government and the country know that Dr Rowley is not likely to be easily impressed without details so that the onus will be on the Commissioner to come good or run the risk of a fallout on this matter.
The fact that the Government chose to brief the Leader of the Opposition on sensitive national security details has gone some way in assuaging the widespread cynicism on the ground about the timing and nature of the assassination plot.On the one hand, if on the basis of what is known and taking the Commissioner and the Government in good faith, this is a serious encroachment on national security by drug dealers, which cannot be taken lightly.In many countries around the world, including those close by in South America, drug cartels have become almost as large as the state. Indeed, a few of them have been referred to as gangster states, almost at the level of being failed states. That therefore is the possible threat in front of us if criminals could believe they could take out the Prime Minister and her ministers.