Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister has come under public pressure to reveal more details of an alleged death plot against her that she blamed on criminals fighting back against a Government crackdown.
Many citizens were expressing skepticism about the assassination plot which Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar announced on Thursday had been uncovered against her and several of her ministers.
Persad-Bissessar placed the blame for the national security alert on criminals linked to the drug trade who she said were resisting a State of Emergency declared in August to stem a surge in murders, violent crime and gang activity.
Many citizens expressed doubts about the announced assassination plot.
“They called a State of Emergency, they disrupted lives, took away some of our freedoms and we have not yet been given a single credible reason why the Government took such drastic action. The Government has lost credibility in my eyes,” said Shelly Duncan, a 34-year-old graphic artist.
Local security officials were on the defensive.
“It is in the national security interest to keep those details close to our chests,” Police Commissioner Dwayne Gibbs said when the threat was announced on Thursday. “We all expressed that there is a threat and if you choose not to believe that, then I guess that is your prerogative,” he added.
Analysts said the security scare, coming on top of the crime-related State of Emergency declared in August, would not help Trinidad and Tobago’s efforts to ride out turbulent international economic conditions that are squeezing more vulnerable island economies of the Caribbean.
“If it continues, investors will have concerns about property rights and safety of FDI (foreign direct investment). It’s not investor-friendly to have this continued state of emergency and reports of an assassination plot,” said independent economic analyst and senator Rolf Balgobin.
Political analyst Bishnu Ragoonath said the Government would regain public confidence if it re-leased more specifics.
“The opposition is also pronouncing this to be a hoax and that in itself is a challenge for the Government to provide credible information to the public,” said Ragoonath, who lectures at the University of the West Indies.
–Reuters
