The Tobago House of Assembly supports the government’s decision to declare a State of Emergency.
Speaking on the declaration of a State of Emergency across Trinidad and Tobago via Facebook Live, Chief Secretary Farley Augustine stressed that the THA expects to see meaningful deliverables from this decision.
“While we support having the State of Emergency as a decisive measure in responding to intelligence that the government has, and I am not in a position to dispute the intelligence that they have, we must point out that this is yet another opportunity for the government to have a radical response to those who are offensive to our democracy and our peace and our safety.”
Chief Secretary Augustine stated that following the SOE announcement, he met with the Attorney General on Friday at his Port of Spain office.
“We discussed the merits of the State of Emergency, the intelligence they are seeing, and why it is important at this time for us to enter into yet another State of Emergency. Another thing I said to the Attorney General is that they need to use this opportunity to really grab hold of the offenders, and it has to be more than apprehending the offenders, but this time around, it has to lead to, it must lead to successful charging and prosecution.”
Mr. Augustine recalled that the State of Emergency announced earlier this year under the previous central government caused international airlines to place a hold on marketing the destination.
“We very much expect that the anxieties would lead to a similar response, and so while we are saying the government must do what it needs to do to get rid of crime, the country must understand that it is a sacrifice that we are making in Tobago on behalf of the country to ensure we can achieve peace, safety, and security.”
A Tobago Security Council meeting will be held on Sunday to discuss the national security apparatus in Tobago. It will also include representatives of the Tobago Division of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce and the Tobago Hotel and Tourism Association.