Sturge tells PNM to stop playing the race card in ‘zones’ debate: Proud black men, women in National Security Council

DEFENCE MINISTER Wayne Sturge has rejected attempts by anyone who claims the Law Reform (Zones of Special Operations) (Special Security and Community Development Measures) Bill 2026, passed in the House of Representatives on January 18, will target people based on race.

The bill was passed with a vote of 27 for and 11 against.

During the same sitting, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar said the state of emergency (SoE) which government declared last July and extended three months later will end on January 31.

Addressing a news conference at UNC headquarters in Chaguanas on January 18, Sturge claimed the Opposition PNM was creating a false narrative in the debate on the bill.

That false narrative, he said, was that Persad-Bissessar, acting on her own, could declare PNM-controlled areas "to be subject of ZOSOs with the loudly implicit suggestion that zones could be declared to target a particular race."

He repeated the bill allows Persad-Bissessar as chair of the National Security Council, in consultation with the Commissioner of Police (CoP) and the TT Defence Force Chief of Staff, to declare certain areas in the country as ZOSOs for a maximum of 180 days.

Sturge then provided information about the composition of the NSC.

Persad-Bissessar, Sturge, Attorney General John Jeremie, Homeland Security Minister Roger Alexander, Works and Infrastructure Minister Jearlean John, Justice Minister Devesh Maharaj and Legal Affairs Minister Saddam Hosein are the Cabinet members of the NSC.

He described Jeremie, Alexander and John as "a proud black man," "a proud black man" and a "proud black woman" respectively.

Sturge said Commissioner of Police Allister Guevarro, who provides critical advice to the NSC, "is a man of African descent and a proud one and an effective one.

He then referred to the TTDF Chief of Staff and the commanding officers of the Coast Guard, Air Guard and Regiment, which all comprise the TTDF.

Sturge said they are "all of African descent."

He said the upper echelons of the police and the TTDF comprise a large number of people of African descent.

Sturge said the alleged narrative which the PNM is advancing is a hollow one.

"Black and brown people are the majority in this country. This is not West Virginia, Kentucky, Mississippi."

He said the composition of the NSC as he outlined "should put to rest the divisive narrative that continues to be peddled."

During the debate, Port of Spain South MP Keith Scotland said, "We are not here to bring colour and race into this debate. We are here to bring reality to TT. "

He alleged the bill would affect the constitutional rights of freedom of movement, enjoyment of property and the right to due process. Scotland compared the SoE to the zones bill.

"I wish to caution this House in replacing one extraordinary security measure with another, under a different name but with the same dire consequences."

Sturge added, "It is my hope that going forward, they (PNM) abandon the playing of the race card."

He repeated government's intention to take control of the ZOSOs away from any criminal gangs there.

Sturge said once this happens, government will pursue initiatives in these zones that are designed to create equality of opportunity and social justice so people there "are not disadvantaged by their station in life."

He claimed that "Many communities in this country have been left behind because the previous government abdicated its responsibility to the most vulnerable communities."

He said the PNM left these communities in this way "so that they could be exploited for political gain." He referred to a media report which alleged that a person who received over $500 million in contracts over the last ten years is a parliamentarian.

Sturge said the bill allows for the creation of a social strategy committee "to provide resources so as to enable vulnerable persons to enjoy a meaningful and sustainable existence through assistance provided by state agencies to help them forward as opposed to perpetuating dependency and coerced loyalty obtained by gang leaders."

He defended the UNC's decision to scrap make-work programmes such as the Unemployment Relief Programme (URP). He alleged these programmes provided steady revenues for criminal gangs, "empowering them to exercise control over entire communities."

Sturge claimed that in 2017-2018, the PNM implemented an unofficial ZOSO in a part of Tunapuna where there was criminal activity and that exercise was successful. He claimed the PNM never passed legislation to implement ZOSOs because it believed this would target their supporters.

"That is why the PNM has lost control over the last ten years," Sturge said.

He repeated the bill will allow government "to take back every inch of our country."

Sturge said the legislation is not an SoE and does not have the sweeping powers granted to the security forces by an SoE.

He said the bill clearly states this is so because the entire nation cannot be declared a zone of special operation.

Similar to the SoE, Sturge said, the bill will allow the silent majority of law-abiding citizens to continue to enjoy their constitutional rights and only target "those persons who engage in the type of activities set out in the bill."

He said this period is the absolute outside limit for a ZOSO to exist and only in the most extreme cases.

He added the bill makes provisions for certain areas in the zones to be cordoned off for a maximum of 24 hours and a curfew to be imposed within the cordon for a maximum of 72 hours. The curfew exists only in the area of the zone where the cordon is, and not the entire zone, he said.

He rejected claims by some social media bloggers that all people within the cordon and the zone will be subject to arbitrary arrest, search or detention by the authorities.

"Where cordons and curfews are imposed, operations will be surgical and timely and would target only those persons and premises who are subject to what we call in law 'reasonable suspicion,' which is a safeguard."

Sturge was confident the bill, which requires a three-fifth's majority for passage, will be passed in the Senate. In the Senate, this equates to 19 votes. Government has 15 senators while the Opposition has six and the Independents have nine.

Sturge was optimistic that at least four Independent Senators will support the bill.

In the House, a three-fifth's majority is 25 votes. The UNC has 26 MPs, the PNM has 13 and the Tobago People's Party (TPP) has two.