1 week ago
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Senior Reporter
Former National Security minister and People’s National Movement (PNM) chairman Marvin Gonzales says he doesn’t believe that security considerations due to the State of Emergency (SoE) were the reason the Government cancelled this year’s Independence Day military parade. He is now urging the Government to come forward and explain their reasoning.
The Ministry of Homeland Security yesterday announced that the cancellation of the parade came after “careful deliberation and intelligence” arising out of the SoE. Minister of Legal Affairs Saddam Hosein subsequently said the Government decided against staging the event because it was determined that having so many high-ranking state officials in one place was a major security risk.
However, Gonzales challenged the explanation put forward, referring to remarks made by Police Commissioner Allister Guevarro during his appearance on a morning talk show earlier in August, where he claimed the criminal threat which prompted the SoE was “neutralised.”
He accused the Government of using the SoE as a reason to cancel the parade to conceal the real reason, which he speculated could be due to poor co-ordination or financial issues.
“The Government needs to explain whether it is a financial issue that has resulted in its decision, or whether there are problems between the Ministries of Homeland Security and Defence where they cannot determine which ministry takes the lead in this matter, because you must have a lead ministry,” he said.
Gonzales also questioned whether the cancellation of the parade was done to embarrass President Christine Kangaloo, who serves as the commander in chief of the armed forces, noting the UNC-led Government had tried to undermine the President in the past.
“The Prime Minister and her ministers have consistently gone in public to embarrass and harass Her Excellency the President. Therefore, the public must ask whether or not this decision is another attack on the commander of our armed forces in this country, because the parade is presided over by Her Excellency. It is her parade, where she inspects the guard of honour, she gets the highest salute and she exits the parade.”
Gonzales, who briefly served as national security minister earlier this year but was a member of the National Security Council under former prime minister Dr Keith Rowley, said Government’s explanation “did not make sense,” as such a widespread national observance was facilitated with nationwide security measures to counter any threat. He noted that even as a citizen, he was deeply disappointed by the cancellation, noting such an occasion united the country with patriotism and positivity.
Contacted for comment yesterday, Fire Service Association president Keone Guy acknowledged that while the parade was a source of pride and patriotism for the nation, he wasn’t opposed to its cancellation.
He said that as the Fire Service continues to deal with issues relating to a shortage of equipment, having fire tenders and other vehicles on display may not be the most practical use of available resources.
“The Fire Service itself has had its challenges with displaying appliances and equipment for the Independence Day Parade. At a time when we have a lot of shortages of equipment … taking equipment from stations that need them for operational response for a military parade … So, I’m not sure what motivated the Government to take this decision, so I’m not opposed to it and I’m sure fire officers largely won’t be opposed to it.”
But former Chief of Defence Staff Brigadier General Carl Alfonso said up to yesterday, he was told the parade was still on based on conversations with former colleagues in the Defence Force and was surprised by the sudden cancellation.
While he could not say whether there was good reason for the cancellation, he said Government’s decision was final on these matters.
“That may be a good thing; there may have been several reasons for that. I don’t know what the reasons are, but there’s nothing wrong with postponing the parade or cancelling the parade, because it has been cancelled before, so this is just another time it’s being cancelled,” he said.
“I don’t sit on the (National Security) Council, but it may not be a bad thing per se.”
One Defence Force official noted that there were already three planning meetings for the parade involving over 100 representatives from different state agencies.
NGO happy fireworks display scrapped
In addition to the cancellation of the parade, the Government also cancelled the State-sponsored fireworks displays.
Speaking with Guardian Media, T&T Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (TTSPCA) president Sita Kuruvilla welcomed the decision, particularly the plan to introduce silent fireworks as an alternative.
“I certainly am very happy and relieved to hear the Government is cancelling the fireworks and are encouraging the move towards silent fireworks,” Kuruvilla said.
“I think it will be a huge difference for those of us dealing with abandoned, stray or lost animals. I think this is a really positive move forward for the silent fireworks and maybe light shows as they do in many other countries.”
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