A reasoned choice

We know that there are people and groups which have been calling, indeed since the declaration of the SoE, for its removal in its entirety. Many of these calls were clearly politically motivated, coming in the main from the opposition PNM, and the Labour movement, the latter having been in a confrontation mode against the Government in the weeks leading up to the declaration. Their cause came across as self-serving, and if opinion polls are considered, did not reflect the support of their memberships.

We also had the calls, rising in crescendo in the past couple of weeks, of genuinely concerned citizens, who worried, and not without reason, that the population was being asked to surrender certain constitutional liberties which could lead to permanent loss of rights in the future if not monitored and controlled. There was, and is, a genuine concern that if the Government has not developed an exit strategy, and some reasonable time limit to implement that strategy, the country could drift into a permanent state of emergency. We can sympathise with this point of view, because a population, battered by years of civilian upon civilian violence, can easily take artificial comfort under the SoE, and indeed with the curfew just ended.

And, as far as we are aware, opinion polls still support the retention of the SoE, and many would like the curfew to continue. Simply put, people feared the bandits far more than they feared the concept of jack-booted police or soldiers kicking down their doors in the night. In a “free-wheeling” democracy such as ours, where a level of anarchy exists in terms of driving, parking, noise-making, garbage-dumping, and even refusal to make court-ordered child maintenance payments.

This acceptance of benign anarchy was demonstrated when people were arrested on outstanding traffic and maintenance warrants, and a mayor felt constrained to call a media conference to condemn such arrests!

But the Prime Minister’s announcement on Monday night has moved the country another step closer to the full freedoms we enjoyed up until August 21. In her measured assessment of the past few weeks, she outlined the successes of the state of emergency so far, and this assessment led the Government to relax the SoE to the extent of lifting the curfew, although she warned that it could be selectively re-imposed.

The announcement brought tremendous relief to the restaurant and entertainment sectors of society, and in our country these sectors probably represent a greater per-capital input to the economy than we know, for much of the activity is largely informal. Restaurants, show and fete promoters, artistes, and the like did suffer considerably under the curfew, while the rest of us were merely inconvenienced.

We call upon the population to exercise restraint even as they unleash their night energies in fetes and limes. We also urge a level of vigilance, and call for all to be aware of and to report any possible activities which could develop into trouble and the re-imposition of any curfew.

And we ask the Government to develop and implement their exit strategy and to keep the public informed as far as security restrictions permit.