PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC—Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley Wednesday defended his administration’s decision to impose a state of emergency (SoE) in Trinidad and Tobago, saying the State had to act “decisively to restore a balance between the fundamental rights of all citizens and the protection from the dangerous excesses carried out by a lawless few.”
The government announced the SoE on Monday due to the threat to national security posed by reprisal killings and the use of high-powered weapons by criminals.
Acting Attorney General Stuart Young explained that the SoE was declared based on information provided to them by the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS), adding that there were elements that could not be divulged.
In his New Year’s message, Prime Minister Rowley said he hopes citizens will enter 2025 “energized, with clearer insights and that we are more open to new perspectives on the challenges that face our nation.”
He said that in this context, he is asking the country to consider the existence, at this time, of the SoE, “which is aimed at criminal elements in our society who have engaged in open warfare against each other and who were executing plans to make this unacceptable State of affairs the norm in Trinidad and Tobago.
“Much as we treasure our fundamental rights and freedoms, when murder, home invasion, kidnappings, and extortion become the choice of commercial activity and sustenance of persons who threaten the peace and security of the national population, the State must then act decisively to restore a balance between the fundamental rights of all citizens and the protection from the dangerous excesses carried out by a lawless few.
Rowley said that the government understands that some citizens may, at some point, hold fears about the direction of the country rather than hope.” Still, I urge that they try to imagine how intolerable and shattering our lives would be without that virtue of hope.
“Understandably, both fear and hope reside within the human spirit and can be misplaced, equally, with false expectations, but fear must always be conquered, while hope, as a moral virtue, must be sustained. We need that virtue of hope to undertake our nation’s business successfully.”
Police Commissioner Erla Harewood-Christopher said that the SoE has guaranteed positive results, with at least 46 people detained since the measure came into force.
“The additional powers available to the police service will empower it to use its intelligence to launch very invasive policing operations targeting known and prolific offenders, especially those involved with illegal drugs, firearms, and ammunitions, and the commission of violent crimes, including kidnapping, home invasions, and homicides,” she told a news conference.
“We will continue to use the power legitimately and guarantee we will get the desired results. We will communicate transparently and hold ourselves accountable for informing the public.”
The Police Commissioner said it is inevitable that the public would be inconvenienced at times, assuring law-abiding members of the public that the TTP would be fair and responsible over the period while calling on the public to be responsible and cooperate with law enforcement.
“The safety and security of Trinidad and Tobago,” she replied to a question about what targets the police are working towards during the SOE.
“We want to ensure our citizens feel safe at all times,” she said, adding that 46 people have been detained nationwide since the SoE came into effect.
Chief of Defence Staff Darryl Daniel said that under the Defence Act, the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force (TTDF) would continue to aid the police.
“Concerning the SoE, as empowered by regulation 20 of the Emergency Powers Regulations 2024, where the police commissioner has requested assistance from the defense force, we will act by general rules and special instructions I will issue by what is required.
“We look forward to assisting the police to address this critical challenge to public safety and ensuring we return the nation to a state of safety and security through these operations,” Daniel told reporters.
Opposition Leader Kamla Persad Bissessar, in her New Year’s message, said, “Without a doubt, 2024 has been one of the most difficult and challenging years for Trinidad and Tobago.”
She said that it was the year the country experienced “unparalleled trauma and terror from the unprecedented crime and violence wave that has plunged our nation into a seemingly permanent state of darkness and despair.”
She said the declaration of the SoE reinforced this. “Over 625 citizens were murdered, even as others suffered countless financial losses and destruction brought on by rampant home invasions, assaults, robberies, and extortions,” the Opposition Leader added.
In his message, Prime Minister Rowley said that “the start of 2025 could be an appropriate time to ask ourselves, individually, some basic questions: “How should I live my life? “What values shall I live by? What sort of person should I be? What shall I aim for? ”
He said that parents should raise these age-old questions daily in every household, in family gatherings, in schools, churches, mosques, and mandirs, in every workplace, in social exchanges, and even among members of Parliament.
“They become more crucial as the nation enters 2025 with a cautious sense of optimism, which requires that each citizen acknowledges his or her responsibility to the nation because the challenges we face have to be handled collectively – particularly the rising crime situation.”
Rowley said that many of the country’s “immense economic challenges in our economy are being navigated successfully, and the country is on a path considered to be sustained growth.”
He said last year, Trinidad and Tobago recorded its third consecutive year of actual gross domestic product (GDP) growth, with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) World Economic Outlook the country a 2.3 percent estimated growth rate for 2025.
“What is significantly encouraging is that our non-energy sector is leading economic recovery. According to our last budget, our Heritage and Stabilisation Fund stands at over six billion US dollars. Foreign reserves are at US$5.4 Billion, giving us a comfortable buffer of seven to eight months of import cover, and our unemployment rate remains contained, much lower than our neighbors.”
Rowley said that these positive aspects should support “our collective hope, given the immense and unprecedented challenges of the past decade, ranging from international oil shocks, gas market fluctuations, restructuring of our key economic components, and the devasting impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Citizens should see further hope in the vibrancy of our Social Services sector, where citizens in need have access to vital services. Hope can also be found in the records that not a gazetted public servant has lost their job, a boast many of our Caricom neighbors cannot make. It is also found in our low Inflation rate, which, in October 2024, measured at 0.2 percent.”
Rowley hopes for the new year that “where we have found success, we will continue to enjoy those benefits and resolve to stay the course to do even better.
“Where our efforts have not borne fruit in a manner commensurate with our output and expectations, we must not lose hope or give up in any way, but we should commit to even greater efforts and make necessary adjustments where they are required.”
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