Attorney General John Jeremie is dismissing comparisons between the proposed Special Operations Bill and apartheid, insisting that the legislation is aimed at protecting communities from gangs and violent crime.
Contributing to debate on the Special Operations Bill in the Senate on Wednesday, he argued that T&T is facing a serious crisis of criminal violence and that the priority must be protecting communities plagued by gang activity and violent crime.
“To invoke that history here while our Black children are being slaughtered in the streets of their own communities is not careless rhetoric. It demands that we examine the assumptions beneath it. What is particularly shameful is that some who have enjoyed extraordinary privilege and accumulated extraordinary wealth would lecture us on oppression while the blood of young people of colour, many of whom will never see their 20th birthday, run through our streets. We, on this side, reject that.”
The AG said the Government’s focus is on dismantling the illegal drug trade and confronting gang activity, which he says has affected the country for years.
“That commitment, Mr President, was to rid this country of the scourge of criminal activity, to dismantle the illegal drug trade, to confront the gang culture that has flourished for a decade under their watch, and to restore our nation to peace and to prosperity.”
Government Senator David Nakhid also defended the Special Operations legislation, saying the proposed closed areas would allow security forces to focus resources and operations in identified crime hotspots.
“That for me is exactly what we need at this point in time is because we’re targeting gangs; we’re targeting criminals. We’re not targeting citizens, but of course they’ll come and say, ‘Well, you have to have a pass, son. You have to have a pass’. Ask them if right now, up in the Bamboo in the zone if people need a pass to go out. Some people can leave the Bamboo to go outside to go and play football in Constantine Park. Do you all know that?”
Meanwhile, Minister in the Ministry of Finance, Dr Kennedy Swaratsingh, argued that the proposed legislation is also important for creating greater security and confidence for investors.
“A company that is seeking to come to Trinidad and Tobago and looking to invest upwards of $750 million and that is why this Special Operations Bill is not only important for our citizens, it is important for us to take Trinidad and Tobago on a pathway of continuing to develop because we have started the journey.”
The Special Operations Bill requires only a simple majority in the Senate.