Cane farmers blank police

ACTING Commissioner of Police Everald Snaggs has granted the Cane Farmers Association of Trinidad and Tobago (CFATT) permission to march today at the Brian Lara Promenade in the vicinity of Abercromby Street. However, CFATT’s general secretary and legal advisor Dave Persad said they will be blanking the march since the police have effectively denied them their right to protest. Persad told Newsday yesterday they gave the police adequate notice for the march, but that it was only yesterday they received a fax that permission had been granted. “This is highly ridiculous.  We would have liked to know before the proposed date,” Persad said, pointing out that they will be sending a formal letter of complaint to Snaggs about the police treatment they received.

“It’s no use.  We can’t march again.  How can we mobilise 7,000 cane farmers in one day?  We have fulfilled all the legal requirements and we are very angry with the police.  This ‘today-for-tomorrow’ thing just can’t work,” Persad added. Senior police officers told Newsday that the Commissioner of Police has the perogative to grant permission to march within 48 hours of the protest day. Police also confirmed that Persad had applied for permission within the last 14 days as required by law.  But senior officers charged that Persad appeared not to be certain about which day he wanted and chose dates that clashed with other important matters affecting society. They said he first asked for September 26, then September 29 but that the latter had coincided with the ceremonial opening of Parliament and the court appearance of Jamaat-al-Muslimeen leader Imam Yasin Abu Bakr. “Because of these two events we could not give him permission on September 29,” a senior officer said.

They added that Persad then asked for October 3, then postponed it to October 6, Budget Day, which police said was a definite “no-no.” When October 6 was turned down, police said Persad asked for two days — today and Monday.  He has been granted permission for both days. Inspite of CFATT’s refusal to protest, senior officers said they will have adequate security measures in place to deal with any acts of lawlessness, in the event that the cane farmers change their minds. Senior officers said police will come from the Guard and Emergency Branch (GEB), Emergency-999, Western, Port-of-Spain and North Eastern Divisions as well as from the Traffic Branch. Persad said the protest march was intended to highlight a number of issues affecting the cane farming community, among them Government’s failure to have meaningful discussions with them; Prime Minister Patrick Manning’s alleged failure to meet with them and lack of preparation for the impending crop reason which is two and a half months away.