Let me start by saying that at no time are any of my correspondences intended to be prejudicial to public safety as this would defeat the purpose and power of the pen, undermine the constitutionally protected democracy imbued in electing a government by the ballot and not the bullet.
And so, after noting that a 2nd State of Emergency (SoE) went into effect as of 12.01 am on March 3, 2025, as the 1st one did little or nothing, except provide grounds for detainees to sue the state, in order to fight horrendous levels of crime and they had to “rock so” with ZOSO
(Helon Francis), the State’s 1st attack is inclusion of a clause to restrict freedom of expression on the said grounds, when there is active Sedition law is superfluous, over-reaching, obnoxious, dangerous and solidifies the perception that they are the new Caribbean Gestapo.
The public is now an enemy and the power of the people is now a threat ala Venezuela.
Make no mistake, everyone sees this as moving closer to the Alexander initiative to reign in bloggers, journalists and activists who make fun of him stuttering, stammering and mispronouncing merrily, but have a constitutional right to keep watch on government excesses, whether its wasteful spending on a Chinese junk to Tobago, predatory ticketing of helpless citizens for award winning quotas, landlord tax aka property tax ATM, suspect police shootings, kidnappings and larceny of exhibits. It shows that those who give, can’t take.
This is so unbecoming of an unelected Attorney General, in the same way, the former Reginald Armour was a key contributor to the procedural lapses which will allow convicted persons to milk the Treasury of some $20 million, to impose these kinds of draconian clauses as though he was in hey day of persecuting Basdeo Panday.
It was equally bad to see the Ministers of Justice and Homeland Security, both of whom rode the backs of the electorate to win unwinnable seats mainly due to the work of said bloggers and activists.
They have joined the conga line of Ministers ( Finance and Transport) who have absolutely turned their backs on the people and violated their covenant to do better, but instead oppress them simply because their (the Minsters) delivery of governance is bitter, hateful and denigrating.
They have in fact done 100 times worse than the people whom they chided and lampooned, remonstrated and poured scorn on and no amount of stale doubles and black coffee can help them.
It was their former ally, ex President ANR Robinson who chided them , as saying ” rivers run into seas” and elevated Mr. Manning.. and this what we are seeing: taxation blitz, penalties, fees and duties to gouge those who are earning a meagre living, closing down businesses in favor of conglomerates. Indeed, I now hear the words of Basdeo Panday, when he was asked about the UNC and he said, cryptically, prophetically : ” that thing is not the UNC I created”.
Stay up Trinidad and Tobago.
Linda Capildeo,
St James
