Scotland: Is Trinidad and Tobago on brink of war?

Port of Spain South MP Keith Scotland, debates an extention of the state of emergency in Parliament on October 31. - Photo by Angelo Marcelle

PORT of Spain South MP Keith Scotland has asked whether Trinidad and Tobago could soon be in a state of war. Scotland posed this question as the House of Representatives debated an extension to the state of emergency (SoE) that was declared on July 18 and later extended on July 28, for a period of three months.

Before Scotland asked this question, Defence Minister Wayne Sturge declined to respond to a question from Opposition Chief Whip Marvin Gonzales about reports of TT Defence Force (TTDF) personnel being recalled immediately to base.

Scotland's question also comes against the backdrop of international media reports of imminent US military strikes against targets inside of Venezuela and a growing US military presence within the Caribbean as US-Venezuela tensions continue.

This week, the guided missile destroyer USS Gravely visited Port of Spain and members of the US Marines 22nd Expeditionary Unit (MEU) conducted exercises with local security forces.

The Gravely was one of three guided missile destroyers which started the US military deployment in the Southern Caribbean. The other two vessels are the USS Jason Dunham and the USS Sampson.

The US forces in the region, which also included the MEU and a nuclear attack submarine, will soon be joined by the aircraft carrier USS Gerald Ford and its strike group which are currently en route from the Mediterranean.

Venezuela's National Assembly this week declared Persad-Bissessar persona non-grata and there were public protests in Venezuela condemning Persad-Bissessar's support for the US.

Scotland told MPs since the UNC won the April 28 general election, it has collapsed on all fronts as a government.

"Nationally, we are on edge. The country is in a mode that people don't know if we coming or if we're going."

In reference to US-Venezuela tensions and TT's support for US military actions in the Caribbean, Scotland said, "Internationally, we have dipped in the eyes of all those who matter."

He added, "We are now, in my respectful view, on the brink of war."

Opposition MPs thumped their desks in support as Scotland made this statement.

Earlier in the sitting, Gonzales asked Sturge about reports of TTDF personnel being called back to base because of some imminent security threat.

Sturge said, "In keeping with the tenets of (standing order) 27 (g), I respectfully beg to decline giving an answer."

Gonzales, a former national security minister, asked whether Sturge was "prepared to execute his ministerial duties to come here and ask and answer questions."

Speaker Jagdeo Singh told Gonzales the question did not arise.

"Overruled."

Singh advised Gonzales to write him if he wanted clarity on how the invocation of standing order 27 (g) should be used.

Under the Constitution, two of the conditions which justify the calling of an SoE are periods of natural disaster or TT being in a state of war with a foreign country.

Scotland said, "This government in less than six months will go down in the annals of history of being the worst government that has ever had the reins of power in TT.

Referring to the earlier contribution of Attorney General John Jeremie, Scotland said government has provided no proper justification for extending the SoE.

'To allow repeated extensions without clear demonstrable justification is to risk transforming extraordinary powers into ordinary governance.

Scotland said, "That is a step away from democracy and a step towards authoritarianism."

He recalled that under Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi the 1970's, India was placed under an SoE for 21 months.

'What happened there was a systematic abuse of power and that is recorded in the annals of history."

Scotland said, "I draw a line and I put a warning as we now debate further extension of three months (to the SoE)."

He added unlike the SoE which the former PNM government called on December 30, 2024, the current SoE has no justification for it. Scotland recalled Persad-Bissessar declared the PNM's SoE as a political gimmick to win an election, overreach and constitutional abuse of citizens' rights. He asked, "What has changed now?"

He said while Jeremie provided law enforcement statistics under the SoE, those figures were presented in a vacuum.

Scotland, a former minister in the national security, sought to balance Jeremie's figures with some from under the PNM's SoE.

He said under that SoE, "law enforcement operations were methodical, coordinated and results driven."

Over 73 days, Scotland continued, there were 5,192 operations that resulted in 4,013 arrests.

He said this was a success rate of 77.8 per cent.

'That is performance."

Scotland said, "By contrast, under the current SoE which has lasted for 84 days, we have seen 5,828 operations but only 2,589 arrests...a success rate of barely 44 per cent."

He added no one has been charged for any of the acts which Jeremie said the SoE was called for.

Scotland said for all of the other figures provided by Jeremie, those under the PNM's SoE were superior.

"Chalk and cheese."

Scotland claimed the SoE was being extended "as a political shield to mask inefficiencies and incompetence.."

He said, "It is to justify overreach and most importantly, it is to silence scrutiny."