00:00As one opposition MP says the special operations bill will make this country a police state,
00:06the energy minister says there's no issue of militarizing the society with the legislation.
00:13Jewel Brown reports.
00:15Opposition MP Stuart Young and Energy Minister Dr. Rudal Munilal
00:18made clear the political divide regarding the special operations bill.
00:23This bill requires a special majority.
00:26But you see, it is easy to pass a bill without that in it.
00:31And it is only when it goes to court that a court will decide.
00:36The bill is area-specific, threshold-based, time-limited.
00:41Detention is subject to magistrate and high court oversight.
00:44It does not recreate necessarily the PDO mechanism.
00:48The special operations bill says that a head of special operations may cause a closed area
00:54within a police district to be closed by means of barriers, roadblocks or otherwise
01:00with permits required to enter or leave with certain exemptions
01:05that include several top-level state office holders.
01:08Once you cordon off an area and, worse yet, put curfews on that area,
01:15every citizen knows that now your right to access to your property is being interfered with.
01:24This piece of legislation is dangerous.
01:27Dr. Munilal said the passage of the bill does not mean, quote,
01:30that automatically we will have a curfew, automatically we will have an entry-exit permit system, end quote.
01:37The law is not providing that there will be a curfew.
01:41That will be determined if necessary.
01:43We have gone through how much months of the state of emergency,
01:46unless I'm mistaken, there was no curfew? None.
01:50So don't assume that the whole country will be under curfew
01:54and every closed area or every district is under curfew.
01:58That may never arise at all. You don't know if or when it will arise.
02:02MP Young highlighted the provision for seven policing districts
02:05and for a closed zone to be established in any of them based on specific security concerns.
02:12Every single square meter of Trinidad and Tobago
02:18is now designated by this piece of legislation under a policing district.
02:32The bill allows for the support of the defense force once a request is made by the police commissioner.
02:39The parliament meets often here, elected, there's an independent judiciary.
02:45And, Madam Deputy Speaker, so the issue of militarizing a society don't stand here.
02:51The military is helping the police.
02:53They have resources, manpower and so on, equipment.
02:57They are helping and working with the police under statutory framework for the first time in life, I think.
03:02For the first time.
03:03And that is a significant achievement as well that we should underline in closing.
03:08Dr. Munal also told the House of Representatives that the bill contains a sunset clause.
03:13Julie Brown, TV6 News.
Comments