Trinidad & Tobago - Dark clouds over Paradise

Trinidad & Tobago - Dark clouds over Paradise At the end of August each year Notting Hill in West London receives a high octane shot of the exuberance and positivity of the colour, culture and creativity of Trinidad and Tobago (TT) in the form of Europe’s largest street carnival. Regardless of England’s weather residents of London are treated to a soca soaked occasion redolent of the tastes and traditions of the Caribbean. Sadly, following on from the recent London riots the two days of festivities will end earlier than usual and see a far larger police presence, something that for the TT Diaspora will have some distinctly unpleasant echoes of what is happening back home. For Trinidad and Tobago is currently under a state of emergency. No amount of azure sky, crystal clear waters or sun-kissed beaches can hide the fact that these seemingly idyllic islands are going through difficult times.

A State of Emergency Following on from a concentrated spate of murders, some 11 in 48 hours, the President of Trinidad and Tobago issued a proclamation on Sunday 21 st August 2011 declaring that a State of Emergency (SOE) had come into effect. For several days following on from this announcement there was considerable confusion as to whether it applied to the entire country or not and this confusion was added to by the fact that a subsequent Curfew Order was meant to only to apply to specified “hot spots”. As if a State of Emergency from 9.00pm – 5.00 am curfew were not serious enough information has subsequently emergence that elucidates something of the disorder that enveloped a decision meant to bring about order. At the point when the decision to act was taken the Commissioner of Police Dwaine Gibbs was in Brazil, something that came of a surprise to the Police Service Board (whom Commissioner Gibbs is required to notify if he intends to travel out of the country). Coincidently the Deputy Commissioner was also out of the country at the time. As for His Excellency President George Maxwell Richards, he was presented with a fait accompli and had no choice but to ‘sign’ the State of Emergency which had already been put in place for 15 days (unless extended by Parliament) on the orders of Prime Minister the Hon. Kamla Persad-Bissessar.

The exact reason for the current action is still something for considerable conjecture.

Drug smuggling, money laundering, gang culture and corruption at the highest levels have gnawed away the islands’ for years. The current government is adamant that the decision it has taken is for the good of all law abiding citizens. The country’s High Commissioner in London, HE Garvin Nicholas is robust in his defence of the decisions made by the People’s Party Coalition, which since May 2010 has made up the Government in Port of Spain; “We are endeavouring to tackle a man-made disaster and we will employ all the necessary forces to deal with those criminal elements threatening our society.”. Nicholas is keen to make it clear where he believes the blame lies; “...our Government is determined to address the problems allowed to grow under the previous administration ...we are committed to investing in

the police, in youth recreation programmes and play areas and in tacking crime...”.

As a trained lawyer Nicholas plays a straight bat and on the question of the criminality he states; “...it is our intention to go after the minions of gang leaders, if you deal with them the gang leaders can no longer operate..”, such sophistry seems somewhat at odds with the line taken by the Attorney General Anand Ramlogan, who has made it clear that the “big fish” are most definitely in the Government’s sights.

Armaments going missing Whilst the Government of Trinidad and Tobago may wish to appear tough on crime there are those within its ranks who might not fully subscribe to its rhetoric. The sudden spike in killings was not the only reason why a State of Emergency was called. During the days and hours leading up to the decision two shipping containers were unloaded and discovered at Port of Spain and these were found to be crammed with weapons and ammunition. Whilst being guarded by three police officers and five army personnel one of the containers went missing. Senior military sources have confirmed that cctv footage of the perpetrators of this crime is currently being examined in the hunt to apprehend both the culprits and recapture the armaments. Such a brazen act whilst bordering on the farcical is a sinister reminder of the dark days of the previous State of Emergency twenty one years ago when there was an attempted coup.

Prime Minister the Hon. Kamla Persad-Bissessar has defended the draconian stance taken by her government. Earlier this week she was defiant whilst speaking at a ceremony at Clifton Tower, Port of Spain: “Make no mistake about it. This Government will remove lawlessness at every level from the society. It is time to bring discipline back, it is time to revive traditional values, and it is time to instil and even insist for rules and regulations, law and order.

There is no room for compromise on this.”

For those at the very heart of Government such posturing is seriously undermined by a seeming moral malaise that is in danger of undermining the Administration at nearly every turn. The usually ebullient, genial and ever artful the Hon. Austin “Jack” Warner – of FIFA fame (some might prefer “infamy”) may be endeavouring to keep a somewhat lower profile of late, but he remains firmly in control of the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure – a ministerial portfolio with possibly the largest budget and the greatest scope for corruption. Whilst ‘Teflon’ Jack is no longer a big shot at FIFA, he certainly wields enormous influence in the Caribbean and effectively bankrolled the United National Congress (the largest partner in the Coalition) in the two most recent elections and smoothed their path to victory last year. Over a year into the Administration he may now wish for a return on his ‘investment’. Amongst other of his dealings mystery surrounds how the financial statements for the Warner owned

Emerald Plaza Hotel at St Augustine’s invariably remain so very healthy even though the hotel rarely ever sees more than a handful of guests. Some have suggested that Warner has perfected the art of alchemy, managing to turn bass metal or some other substance into gold (or TT dollars). Ever the workaholic, the wealth of evidence he is believed to have amassed on colleagues will no doubt prove a handy ‘insurance policy’ in these turbulent times.

Dissolute behaviour If the Government is intent on rooting out “lawlessness” and has its heart set on some moral crusade it must surely begin with those it selects to serve in positions of high office. For a country that has the dubious privilege of being a key route for the trans-shipment of narcotics it does its’ reputation no good at all having Anil Roberts as Minister of Sport, an individual whose increasing reliance on cocaine has evidently clouded his judgement to such an extent that he believes that it is acceptable to use tax payer funded government transport to ferry his male lover around. No doubt Roberts feels quite safe for now at least as he has the patronage of a bibulous Prime Minister whose alleged recreational activities include hosting more and more audacious ‘bunga bunga’ parties using Government buildings and hiring caterers and escorts. Whilst strenuous efforts are being made to keep the drinking and immorality out of the public eye, such misconduct raises serious questions about judgement and the fact that much of what is going is being paid for from the public purse. High ranking public servants shudder at what is currently taking place and it is clear that such licentious behaviour brings the entire Administration and the country into disrepute. Furthermore, such activity makes individuals far more susceptible to blackmail and so the target for the ‘big fish’ eager to ensure that they remain untouchable. For all the fact the Government seeks to portray itself as a rainbow coalition, there is already bubbling discontent over the Indo-isation of many of the ministries that has unpleasant shades of that which has caused so much tension in Guyana over the years. Whilst the Augean Stables remain the earnest endeavours of statesmen such as Winston Dookeran, Minister of Finance and former Governor of the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago (CBTT) will go largely unnoticed. It would appear to be a damning indictment of the current political elite, that there are so few individuals who have managed to resist the temptation to put their hands in the till.

Politicians are politicians and there will always be those who sadly fall well short of the ideal, just as Opposition parties will seek to make capital out of any government hitting a rough patch. For those having to endure the State of Emergency and the curfew there are very legitimate concerns. Whilst big businesses have the connections, reserves and extensive portfolios to weather a drop of income over several weeks or possibly months to the small outlets, clubs, bars, restaurants, taxi drivers, street vendors and those who normally work or have to travel during the curfew hours this is a time of considerable hardship. Should the current situation drag on there is a very real chance that some law abiding citizens will be driven to

criminality as a direct consequence of the action taken by the State. To date there has been no mention of compensation, although Government Officials are said to be giving thought to this matter. Economic belt tightening has seen a raft of social programmes slashed including those connected with Special Education provision and counselling of adults infected with HIV. HE Garvin Nicholas, sitting comfortably in his beautifully appointed official residence in Hampstead, London may wish to believe that social funding has not been cut, but a wealth of information would appear to tell a somewhat different story. The Police, the Public Service Association (PSA) and other government employees have threatened strike action for a while and for the time being at least the State of Emergency staves off that particular problem.

Tackling criminality The current government has been eager to tackle the issue of crime and has used its substantial parliamentary majority to successfully steer an Anti-Gang Bill (2010) onto the statute books. It is worth noting that a range of human rights concerns raised by Amnesty International in a report on Trinidad and Tobago (31/07/2011) have largely been dismissed by the current Administration. The issue of the excessive use of force by the Police gives further cause for concern about the State of Emergency as the SOE removes important protection measures under the Law. Rounding up known criminal elements or the ‘usual suspects’ might play well to the gallery, but could well result in further injustices. As for the Curfew, well statistics already show that a very high percentage of the murders in the islands take place during the day.

For all the current measures on 26th August there were three killings in an area of Trinidad known as Bangladesh. Since the introduction of the SOE and the subsequent curfew, thus far the Police have made nearly 500 arrests and have confiscated weapons and several hundred rounds of ammunition.

In the current febrile atmosphere many people are rightly anxious about their physical safety and economic security. Rumours and speculation is rife. The Government is well aware that it has a duty to protect the people. Some people whilst happy to see a no-nonsense approach to criminality fear that a Government under pressure over its handling of the State of Emergency will seek to “play the terrorism card” in order to excuse its actions and bolster its position. One thing is for certain and that is that the fall-out from the events of the last week will be substantial.

Little wonder then that the good people of Trinidad and Tobago have so little reason to party on the anniversary of Independence Day this year.

Mark T Jones

27th August 2011