SECURITY MEASURES

Saturday’s attack on former President, Sir Ellis Clarke, in which he was reportedly mugged and robbed of his vehicle, raises the issue of the need for provision by the State of adequate, round the clock protection for all former Presidents and Prime Ministers of Trinidad and Tobago. Although Trinidad and Tobago has been troubled by a surge in kidnappings within recent years, fortunately no physical harm appears to have been done to Sir Ellis. but the relative ease with which the gang appeared to have held up and stolen his car serves to point out that the country’s first President, for a few frightening moments, even though he lives in a gated area, could have been exposed to that possibility.

A former holder of any of these offices should be afforded protection both at his home and whenever he leaves his residence. In addition, there should be a 24-hour security presence at his home, whether he is in or out, to ensure that would be thieves or worse, persons bent on kidnapping a former Head of State or Head of Government either for a ransom and/or to score dubious political points, do not enter and hide on his premises. There should be electronic surveillance in place. In turn, there should be mechanisms both at the home of the former office holder and in his car[s] through which instant contact could be made, say, with Special Branch Headquarters. The technology is there which would allow Special Branch officers to trace exactly and immediately where the vehicle is at any given time. In this way response can be swift.

Regardless of the intent of the gang, but particularly because of Sir Ellis’ position and that of Mr Robinson as former President of the Republic, the Ministry of National Security should not be tempted, providing it is so inclined, to treat the incident as an aberration and, therefore, not call for special steps to be taken in the future as suggested by the preceding paragraph. The incident coming so soon after the recent storming of the grounds of a home in St Augustine, at which former President, Arthur NR Robinson, was a dinner guest, and the fatal shooting of his bodyguard, Acting Inspector Edward Williams, should be viewed as cause for concern and a need for the implementing of appropriate security measures.

Apart from the attack on Sir Ellis being hugely wrong, as would a not dissimilar attack on any other citizen or person in this country, Sir Ellis has a special place in Trinidad and Tobago’s history. He was the principal framer, not only of TT’s 1962 Independence Constitution and its 1976 Republican Constitution, but was the first President of the Republic. It is almost inconceivable that members of the gang did not know who he was. In addition, it should have been inconceivable that Sir Ellis would have been exposed to Saturday’s trauma. But preventive measures must be designed and effected to ensure the safety of Sir Ellis Clarke and others who served Trinidad and Tobago at the pinnacle, and we may add with unquestioned distinction.