Confederation of Regional Business Chamber has high SoE hopes

CONFEDERATION of Regional Business Chamber (CRBC) chairman Vivek Charran says the state of emergency (SoE) must yield tangible results to assure the population that something is being done to reduce crime.

He made this comment on December 31, one day after President Christine Kangaloo declared the SoE.

At a news conference on December 30, acting Attorney General Stuart Young said the SoE was called based on intelligence from the police about significant reprisal killings by gangs. Young added the SoE was not called because of the murder toll for the year exceeding 600.

In a statement, Charran said, " It will not be enough for the SoE to simply put a lid on the number of crimes and murders committed while it is in place ."

He added, "The true test of this current strategy will be whether it bears results and those results must be material ones ."

Charran said gangs must be brought under control and dismantled.

He hoped this would be one of the outcomes of the SoE.

"Ggangs need to fear the law which clearly they do not given the manner of which people have been murdered execution style in the past weeks and days."

Young said there will be no curfew associated with the SoE as government did not want to do anything to negatively affect the economy.

Charran welcomed this move.

He said restrictions and curfews imposed in previous SoE's, such as the one imposed during the covid10 pandemic, have shown that suppression does not solve the crime problem.

Charran added, "In fact suppression by curfew or state of emergency in the past has merely allowed pent up aggressions and criminal intents and needs to grow until it is unleashed at a later time."

The leaders of other business groups which comprise the CRBC also expressed their views about the SoE.

San Fernando Business Association (SBA) president Daphne Bartlett welcomed the SoE but was concerned about what happens when it ends.

"The concern of the SBA is what are the follow up plans and key strategies that will be developed by our government and national security apparatus when the SoE comes to an end. This is absolutely critical as my members are reeling under pressure on matters regarding extortion, theft, violence and shoplifting."

Supermarket Association president Biondi Bachew said, "Recognizing the need to prioritize public safety and security, we urge the authorities to ensure that this period is managed with transparency, proportionality, and a clear plan to restore normalcy.”

Pt Fortin Chamber of Commerce president George Alexis said, "“Our criminal justice system has to be properly resourced and financed. We need better equipment for the TTPS (TT Police Service), and to have international assistance to vastly improve on our detection rate.”

He added this was critical to supporting efforts to arrest criminal gang leaders and seize illegal firearms during the SoE.

Gasparillo Chamber president Samuel George said, "The time has come to put in place the most appropriate security measures to protect our citizens, our merchants and other community stakeholders."

But George was concerned that " over the past nine years, this sitting government has allowed crime to become a full runaway horse to the point where it is out of control.”

Fyzabad Chamber of Commerce president Angenie Jairam noted Young's statements about public gatherings not being affected by the SoE.

But she said, "However, SoE means we law-abiding citizens have partly lost our freedom of movement and privacy."

Jairam welcomed the SoE but said more needs to be done to address the root causes of crime.

"Crime can only be fixed dealing with it from the core of the problem, which is the of human opportunities and upliftment.”