By Raffique Shah
September 26, 2026

As we exit SoE number 2,3 or 4, with a real threat of it returning, because as Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has said, she can reinstate it if she wants, I take a look back at what it has accomplished. To say nothing significant would be a gross understatement of how ineffective the SoE was, and an accurate description of how little to nothing was accomplished.

A stupid boast of a little over 3,500 people being arrested has done nothing to assuage the fears of the nation because as far as I am—and I am sure, thousands of readers are—concerned, crime marched irrespective of the SoE. So, come better than that, Madame Prime Minister.

Your threat of another SoE bothers no one, not even the business community. Because threat or no threat from the criminal element, men still have to “eat ah food”. Perhaps you should start with replacing your minister at the head of Security and the stale-dated one playing the role Attorney General. Anyone with a pulse would have thought after the royal mess up with the Star Sabga and cohorts issue, both Roger Alexander and John Jeremie would have been removed from your Cabinet. I see you are still playing the long game, much like you did with former attorney general Anand Ramlogan in your last tenure as prime minister. Be mindful that that was one among many issues that helped oust you from office back then.

Your big threat these days is to send the criminals who “keep misbehaving” behind bars either to Teteron or the Maximum Security Prison. Well, I am not sure if you have been briefed by your National Security minister—although if you have, I would understand why there would be misunderstandings on your part—but Madame PM, to put them behind bars, you first have to catch them. And, not the way in which you caught the Hadeeds, but you actually need to have hard and justiciable evidence to hold and eventually convict them.

The more I think about your interview post the SoE, the more I believe that neither you nor any member of your Cabinet knows what to do with respect to crime and how not to violate the rights of your citizens in the process.

In the last few weeks you have thrown around the word “c…” so many times, I fear you are baiting for a race-war to distract from the real issues at hand. Be thankful that so far no one, not even your colleagues in the Opposition, have taken you up on this. Derogatory words such as “n…” and “c…” should never be a part of anyone’s language in this country, least of all the leader of the country who it seems has finally found her heritage and is proud to call herself a “c….”. These words are hateful and carry a stigma of a past we should be steering away from. Even in jest, they should not be used.

You latest idea, one which you have been toying with for several months now, reeks of failure, and gross negligence of our human rights, and violates our constitutional rights.

You have referred to the Independent senators appointed by the President, who are among some of the more respected ones in their fields of operation, as deadbeats and self-promoting; and you went on to spew vitriol by accusing them of wanting to advance their “scummy personal ambitions”. All this because they do not support your violation of the Constitution.

It is a travesty to see a leader of a country stoop to such lows.

In case you haven’t realised, the rule made by your predecessor, “when in Opposition, it is your duty to oppose”, only applies when the UNC and their factions are in Opposition. Fortunately, not all political opponents think the same way.

Now, after all but cussing the Opposition, their supporters and their constituents, you have resigned yourself and your party to only helping those in constituencies won by the UNC. And, I will reiterate here, that you need to fire all your ministers, because how can they allow you to make a biased and dangerous statement like that?

You are not the Prime Minister of selected parts of the country. You are the Prime Minister of the nation which includes all of Trinidad and Tobago. If you have a problem with that, do the decent and politically correct thing, and resign now.

Be careful what you wish for. Telling the PNM constituents that they will continue to be overrun by violent criminal gangs and drug lords is dangerous.

Last I checked, criminals don’t ask to see your party card when they come to kill, rob or rape.

‘Nuff said.