00:00In a late-night contribution to the debate in the House of Representatives
00:03for a second three-month extension of the state of emergency,
00:07Prime Minister Kalma Passat-Besasa offered a direct response
00:10to one of the opposition's concerns about the emergency measures.
00:15The six months that we're going for for this extension, for this SOE,
00:19this scheme of things, is temporary. It is temporary.
00:23And you are now trying to tell people,
00:25what was the word you remember, look at the open news,
00:28what was the rolling over, rolling over,
00:30and telling me we will have this SOE for five years?
00:33Well, you're wrong. Nothing is further from the truth.
00:37And the Prime Minister added it to comments made earlier in the debate
00:41by Attorney General John Jeremy.
00:43The rule of law is for one and it is for all.
00:46We firmly, firmly believe in that.
00:49It cannot be only for black boys.
00:52It cannot be only for the 1% that the age you mentioned.
00:55It cannot be only for people of Indo-origin or Chinese.
00:59Whichever, rule of law is for every single one of us,
01:03regardless of race, as I said, religion or creed.
01:06Attorney General Jeremy said the government would not be deterred
01:09in its drive against gang-related crime and gang-related activity.
01:14An infraction of the law by the powerful is,
01:19and the 1% is no different from an infraction of the law
01:26by the poor little black youths in Mova and Lavantel.
01:35Whatever my personal consequences,
01:39whatever the consequences are for the Prime Minister,
01:44I think it may be too much for them to chew all of us.
01:48We are prepared for that.
01:51The Prime Minister was prepared to defend the state of emergency.
01:54We did our poll, and the polling shows us that there is full support
01:59by the majority of the people of our country.
02:05Now, I don't know if the owners of the PNM have instructed their leaders
02:10not to support the SOE.
02:12I don't know.
02:13The Prime Minister also spoke about the regulations
02:16that set new distance limits for protests near several state facilities.
02:21I understand why, to say a 500-metre zone,
02:27because at that distance, I am told,
02:30the effects of small arms and rifles, rough rifle, gunfire, are negative.
02:35The 500-metre no-protest zone limit applies to locations
02:39that include the Parliament and the Office of the Prime Minister.
02:4399.77% of our country,
02:47they can use it for their protests and their assemblies and so on.
02:50This is because the state has a duty
02:52to protect legitimate protesters, I acknowledge that,
02:56to protect public servants,
02:59to protect citizens working in and visiting
03:02critical, high-risk, high-security buildings,
03:05because gatherings were being infiltrated by gang members.
03:10Gatherings were being infiltrated by gang members.
03:13That's what the intelligence shows us.
03:14The Prime Minister and the Attorney General spoke about reductions in murders
03:18and other serious crimes during the two SOEs since the 2025 general election.
03:24The state of emergency is not an afferent to liberty.
03:28It is not to take away liberties.
03:30For now, given where we are, with the state of lawlessness,
03:36this SOE acts like a guardian.
03:39The SOE in Trinad must endure T&D.
03:43For the criminal syndicates that imperil public order
03:46and menace the foundations of national security
03:49have not yet been subdued.
03:53The motion for the second three-month extension of the SOE
03:56that began in March
03:57was passed by the House of Representatives
03:59via the government's majority
04:01at around 12.30 a.m. on Thursday.
04:04Jewel Brown, TV6 News.
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