Senior Reporter
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar says Government’s revised Law Reform (Zones of Special Operations) Bill will return to Parliament with amendments tomorrow and will require only a simple majority to pass in the Senate, rather than the three-fifths special majority that was needed when the legislation was first introduced in January.
Persad-Bissessar said the amendments had already been drafted and she intends to conduct a final review before the bill is reintroduced.
“Certainly, we have already made those amendments. I will give it a final look later today (yesterday),” the Prime Minister said while speaking with reporters outside Parliament yesterday.
“This bill needs a simple majority,” she added, pointing out that the original legislation had been taken “to the furthest using the Jamaican model.”
The bill was later laid in the House by Attorney General John Jeremie.
Persad-Bissessar said Government remains committed to advancing the legislation, arguing that it is necessary to help maintain public safety as the State of Emergency (SoE) ends today.
While acknowledging differences between the constitutional frameworks of Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, Persad-Bissessar said, “I think we need this. We need to have our people feeling safe in our country.”
Under a simple-majority requirement, a bill passes if it receives the support of more than 50 per cent of the members present and voting.
The legislation’s first iteration was defeated in the Senate in January, after the Government failed to secure the required three-fifths majority. Eight of the nine Independent Senators and all six Opposition People’s National Movement senators voted against the measure.
The bill’s defeat sparked political controversy after Persad-Bissessar alleged that two Independent Senators had sought personal favours in exchange for their support. She said the requests were rejected but declined to identify the senators involved.
The Government’s renewed push for the legislation comes as the current six-month SoE, declared in March, ends today.
Persad-Bissessar described the SoE as successful but maintained that such extraordinary measures could not continue indefinitely.
“The SoE was successful, but we cannot do perpetual SoEs,” she said.
She argued, however, that the ZOSO legislation would provide another tool in the fight against crime and help reassure citizens about their safety.
The Prime Minister also said Government is prepared to consider concerns raised by Opposition and Independent Senators and make further adjustments if necessary.
“We will pass it in the House. We will pass it in the Senate. We will listen to the Opposition. We will listen to the independents, and if we have to dovetail it in certain ways, we will do that,” the PM said.
“But I really want us to pass it, and I want the people of Trinidad and Tobago to understand that safety and security is first.”
Persad-Bissessar added that public safety must remain Government’s top priority, arguing citizens cannot benefit from national development if they do not feel secure.
“Because if you’re dead, you cannot enjoy good roads, you cannot enjoy schools, you can enjoy nothing else. So, I’m putting safety and security at the top of our list,” she said.
Opposition awaiting revised bill
Opposition MP Symon de Nobriga says the Opposition has not yet determined whether it will support the revised legislation. He said Opposition members cannot take a position on the bill until they have an opportunity to review the proposed amendments.
“Well, the fact is that no member of the Opposition can give you a position on that, having not seen the bill. It was just announced at our last sitting, so we have not seen that,” he said.
De Nobriga noted that concerns about the original legislation extended beyond the Opposition, with Independent Senators also raising what he described as significant issues. He said Government had previously indicated it would not accept amendments, a stance he suggested contributed to the bill’s defeat.
“So, we will see what comes to the Parliament, and we’ll see if it’s palatable for the nation,” he said.
Opposition Leader Pennelope Beckles had previously criticised Government’s decision to revive the legislation, describing the original bill as “failed and compromised.”
Beckles argued that bringing back the measure as the SoE nears its end raises questions about whether the Government has a broader and more effective long-term strategy to address crime.
She also criticised Persad-Bissessar’s absence from the parliamentary sitting last Friday, during which Homeland Security Minister Roger Alexander announced the Government’s intention to reintroduce the legislation.
Alexander told Parliament the bill is intended to provide “special measures to uphold the rule of law, public order, citizens’ security and public safety” within geographically defined areas.
He said the timing of its return would be determined by the Prime Minister and Attorney General John Jeremie.
“When the ZOSO is ready, they will indicate to us and we’ll bring it before the Honourable House,” Alexander said.
International anti-drug cooperation
Persad-Bissessar also highlighted Government’s cooperation with international partners in combating transnational crime.
Asked about the seizure of approximately $1 billion worth of illegal drugs since the UNC administration took office and whether United States officials were assisting local law enforcement, she said T&T works closely with regional and international partners to combat drug trafficking, money laundering and human trafficking, Persad-Bissessar said, “We work with our local law enforcement. We work with the US and other governments when it comes to fighting international drug trafficking, money laundering, people trafficking and human trafficking. We work with all our regional and international partners together with our own law enforcement.”
