PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, (CMC) – Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley Wednesday defended the decision of his administration to impose a state of emergency (SoE) in Trinidad and Tobago, saying the state had to act “decisively to restore a balance between the fundamental rights of all citizens and the protection from the dangerous excesses carried out by a lawless few”.

The government announced the SoE on Monday due to the threat to national security posed by reprisal killings and the use of high-powered weapons by criminals.

Acting Attorney General, Stuart Young explained that the SoE was declared based on information provided to them by the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS), adding that there were elements that could not be divulged.

In his New Year’s message,  Prime Minister Rowley said it is his hope that citizens will enter 2025 “energised, with clearer insights and that we are more open to new perspectives on the challenges that face our nation”.

He said that it is in this context that he is asking the country to consider the existence, at this time, of the SoE “which is aimed at criminal elements in our society who have engaged in open warfare against each other and who were executing plans to make this unacceptable state of affairs the norm in Trinidad and Tobago.

“Much as we treasure our fundamental rights and freedoms, when murder, home invasion, kidnappings and extortion become the choice of commercial activity and sustenance of persons who threaten the peace and security of the national population, the State must then act decisively to restore a balance between the fundamental rights of all citizens and the protection from the dangerous excesses carried out by a lawless few.”

Rowley said that as a government, it understands that some citizens may, at some point, hold fears about the direction of the country, rather than hope,” but I urge that they try to imagine how intolerable and shattering our lives would be without that virtue of hope.

“Understandably, both fear and hope reside within the human spirit and they can be misplaced, equally, with false expectations, but fear always has to be conquered, while hope, as a moral virtue, has to be sustained. We need that virtue of hope in order to successfully undertake our nation’s business,” he argued.

Police Commissioner Erla Harewood-Christopher said that the SoE has guaranteed positive results with at least 46 people being detained since the measure came into force.

“The additional powers available to the police service will empower it to use its intelligence to launch very invasive policing operations targeting known and prolific offenders, especially those involved with illegal drugs, firearms and ammunitions, and the commission of violent crimes, including kidnapping, home invasions and homicides,”  she told a news conference.

“We will continue to use the power legitimately and guarantee we will get the desired results. We will be transparent in our communication and will hold ourselves accountable for ensuring the public is kept informed,” she stated.

The police commissioner said it is inevitable that the public would be inconvenienced at times, assuring law-abiding members of the public that the TTPS  would be fair and responsible over the period, while  calling on the public to be responsible and co-operate with law enforcement.

“The safety and security of Trinidad and Tobago,” she replied to a question asked what targets the police is working towards during the SoE.

“We want to ensure our citizens feel safe at all times,”  she said, adding  that 46 people were detained nationwide since the SoE came into effect.

Chief of Defence Staff, Darryl Daniel, said under the Defence Act, the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force (TTDF) would continue to provide aid to the police.

“With respect to the SoE, as empowered by regulation 20 of the Emergency Powers Regulations 2024, where the police commissioner has requested assistance from the defence force, we will act in accordance with general rules and special instructions I will issue in accordance with what is required.

“We look forward to assisting the police to address this critical challenge to public safety and ensuring we return the nation to a state of safety and security through these operations,” Daniel told reporters.

Opposition Leader Kamla Persad Bissessar in her New Year’s message said “without a doubt, 2024 has been one of the most difficult and challenging years for Trinidad and Tobago”.

She said that it was the year the country experienced “unparalleled trauma and terror from the unprecedented crime and violence wave that has plunged our nation into a seemingly permanent state of darkness and despair”.

She said this was reinforced by the declaration of the SoE.

“Over 625 citizens were murdered, even as others suffered countless financial losses and destruction brought on by rampant home invasions, assaults, robberies, and extortions,” the opposition leader added.

In his message, Prime Minister Rowley said that “the start of 2025 could be an appropriate time to ask ourselves, individually, some basic questions: “How should I live my life”, meaning, “What values shall I live by? “What sort of person should I be? “What shall I aim for?”

He said that these age-old questions should be raised daily by parents in every household, in family gatherings, in schools, churches, mosques and mandirs, in every workplace, in social exchanges and even among members of Parliament.

“They become more crucial as the nation enters 2025 with a cautious sense of optimism which requires that each citizen acknowledges his or her individual responsibility to the nation, because the challenges, we face have to be handled collectively – particularly, the rising crime situation.”

Rowley said that many of the country’s “immense economic challenges in our economy are being navigated successfully and the country is on a path considered to be sustained growth”.

He said last year, Trinidad and Tobago recorded its third consecutive year of real gross domestic product (GDP) growth, with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) World Economic Outlook the country  a 2.3 per cent estimated growth rate for 2025.

“What is significantly encouraging is that economic recovery is being led by our non-energy sector. Our Heritage and Stabilisation Fund stands at over six billion US dollars, according to our last budget, and foreign reserves are at $5.4 billion US, giving us a comfortable buffer of seven to eight months of import cover, and our unemployment rate remains contained, much lower than our neighbours.”

Rowley said that these positive aspects should support “our collective hope, given the immense and unprecedented challenges of the past decade, ranging from international oil shocks, gas market fluctuations, restructuring of our key economic components, and the devasting impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Citizens should see further hope in the vibrancy of our Social Services sector, where citizens in need have access to vital services. Hope can also be found in the records that not a single gazetted public servant has lost his/her job, a boast that many of our Caricom neighbours cannot make. It is found also in our low Inflation rate which, in October 2024, measured at 0.2 percent.”

Rowley said that his hope for the new year is that “where we have found success, we will continue to enjoy those benefits and resolve to stay the course to do even better.

“Where our efforts have not borne fruit in a manner commensurate with our output and expectations, we must not lose hope or give up in any way but we should commit to even greater efforts and make necessary adjustments where they are required,” he stated.