Al-Rawi: State of emergency can end at any time

Days after the House of Representatives agreed to a three-month extension of the state of emergency (SoE) on Wednesday last week, Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi says it need not run for that full period but could be ended at "any point in time" before.

On the TTT programme In Depth on Monday night, he told host Dike Rostant the aim of the SoE was to help the vaccination drive and to assist in crowd control. He said the first three months of the SoE had shown that it had worked.

Asked if the Government could operate a nightly curfew without having an SoE, Al-Rawi said that would be very hard to do, and in fact would need a special law to be passed for that to happen. "What we are battling is congestion," the AG explained.

He said daytime activities were allowable as they can be seen and supervised by the likes of the police and defence force. However, at nighttime less supervision is achievable, even as there is virtually no work at night, (and so less justification for people to be out.)

"We all want to get our lives back, but it (curfew) is a tool that the public health advisers have asked for."

Al-Rawi touched on his ministry's recent achievements such as setting up a Public Defenders Office and amending the Motor Vehicle and Road Traffic Act using a demerit system which has resulted in a 65-year low in road deaths.

He vowed to enact laws to tackle sex offenders in his upcoming legislative agenda, including amendments to the Sexual Offences Act.

In addition, he will legislate on revenge pornography, voyeurism and sexual harassment. Other fresh legislation will pertain to the TT Revenue Authority, Statistical Institute and Companies Register. He said the House will resume on September 10.

Al-Rawi implored listeners to gets vaccinated, saying this would help to save the country.