00:00The government says that this extension of the state of emergency is about fighting crime.
00:05I don't believe it.
00:07And neither do many citizens who are watching what is unfolding in this country.
00:12Patriotic Front political leader Michaela Pandey issued her statement the day before a motion is scheduled
00:19for debate in the House of Representatives for a second three-month extension of the state of emergency that took
00:25effect in March.
00:26Look at the timeline.
00:28On May 27th, citizens protested outside the DPP's office.
00:34That very same day, the government announced 15 no-protest zones.
00:40Then nurses became more vocal.
00:42Workers became more vocal.
00:45Unions became more vocal.
00:47Citizens began demanding answers.
00:50A recent legal notice under the emergency powers regulations states that a person who is participating in a public protest
00:57or demonstration shall not be at or within 500 meters of the premises and curtilage of locations which include the
01:07parliament,
01:08the office of the president, the office of the prime minister, the diplomatic center, the office of the attorney general,
01:13the finance ministry, the defense ministry, the homeland security ministry, the police headquarters, the DPP's office, and the nation's two
01:22international airports.
01:23And Ms. Pandey offered a direct response to Public Utilities Minister Barry Padarat,
01:28who said in a statement that it is an issue of, quote, hatred for the UNC, racism and prejudice,
01:35entities working in the shadows with the PNM to disrupt the nation through the geyser protests.
01:41All of this is an effort to gain political currency.
01:44The playbook has not changed for the PNM and their proxies, end quote.
01:49The Public Utilities Minister said, however, that the UNC has learnt and will not be intimidated.
01:54Now that this government sits in office, suddenly criticism is hatred.
01:59Suddenly protest is intimidation.
02:02Suddenly the people are the problem.
02:04Well, I have news for this government.
02:06The people are not the problem.
02:08The people are the employers.
02:10The government works for the people, not the other way around.
02:15The first three-month extension of the SOE that began in March ends on June 17th at midnight.
02:21The government says this is about crime.
02:24Let me ask you a simple question.
02:26Do you feel safer?
02:28Has crime been defeated?
02:30Has fear disappeared from our communities?
02:33Because if this state of emergency is working,
02:37why do you need another three months?
02:39And if it isn't working,
02:41why should the people of this country surrender another three months of their freedoms?
02:46In a statement on Sunday, the Attorney General's Office said that at a meeting of the National Security Council
02:52on the evening of Friday, 5th June, 2026,
02:55the Prime Minister and members of the Council received and reviewed reports
02:58on the states of emergency implemented between December 2024 and May 2026.
03:04The state of emergency in December 2024 occurred before the UNC and its coalition of interests
03:09defeated the PNM in the 2025 general election.
03:13The AG's Office said, quote,
03:15reports highlighted analyses and data sets related to significant local and international threats to state security.
03:22The reports revealed that all three SOEs were associated with meaningful disruptions
03:27in all categories of data sets reviewed and analyzed, end quote.
03:32The AG's Office added that after examining the reports and advice from members of the NSC,
03:37the Prime Minister has decided that the government will go to Parliament on Wednesday, June 10th
03:43to request an extension of the state of emergency for a further three months.
03:48This government may have the numbers in Parliament, but the people still have a voice.
03:53And that voice is more powerful than any parliamentary majority.
03:57A second three-month extension of the SOE can be approved
04:01via the government's majority in the House of Representatives.
04:04Jewel Brown, TV6 News.
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