Too close for comfort

THE DISRUPTION that occurred in Port of Spain on Monday bore all the hallmarks of a repeat of history and should trigger fresh consideration over security measures in the downtown areas of the nation's capital.

It is fortunate there were no injuries reported.

But while the explosion at the parkade of the Government Campus Plaza has been described as small, the proximity of the incident to key government departments such as the Customs and Excise Division, Immigration Division and the Office of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs was too close for comfort.

Though damage was minimal, the loss of productive hours in relation to all of the government departments that had to be evacuated; the diversion of significant law enforcement and Fire Service resources; and the heightening of a sense of anxiety in relation to the city are among the costs of this tiresome incident.

For many, Monday immediately brought to mind the events of 2005 when a series of explosions occurred in Port of Spain, including one from a bin on Frederick Street, a stone’s throw away from the parkade.

Though at that time, the then Prime Minister Patrick Manning famously told Parliament the culprit was “Mr Big,” no one was ever formally held accountable for these events, which left more than a dozen people injured and many more scarred and traumatised.

In relation to Monday’s event, law enforcement authorities have lamented that there appears to be elements intent on mischief and destabilisation of the country.

This is all the more reason for those accountable to be subject to the fullest brunt of the law and for history not to be repeated. What is also unsettling is the fact that Port of Spain appears to be more and more a city under siege.

Earlier this month we witnessed an uptick in gang warfare in east Port of Spain and a man driving a car being dunned down in broad daylight in Cocorite.

Coupled with the pandemic’s economic slowdown and control measures; the still lingering aftermath of the harrowing events of July 1990; the perennial problems of flash flooding, worn infrastructure and street dwellers, it seems as though Port of Spain simply cannot catch a break.

The issue of the need to decentralise government services takes up greater urgency due to the need for more digital functionality at a time when in-person services are no longer adequate given the nature of covid19. This adds a further complication to any efforts that might be made to revitalise the city.

At the very least, it is clear that greater security is needed not only to prosecute disruptive incidents but also prevent them through better regulation and control of important sites within our capital.