IS THE GOVERNMENT OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO JUSTIFIED IN ITS APPROACH TO THE DRUG TRADE?

Several months ago I wrote this commentary in a Facebook Group, and since then the Government of Trinidad and Tobago has boasted of its success in the Arbitration process arising out of its decision not to take delivery of the Offshore Patrol Vessels( OPVs) which were eventually purchased by Brazil. Whether we did in fact realize a profit is yet to be seen but I'm bringing this post back for general information and perhaps comment.

I try not to criticize for the sake of criticizing and in fact have no hesitation in complimenting anyone whose actions are deserving of such accolades. I still remember with a touch of sadness however the statement by the Honorable Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar back in 2010 that the war on drugs is on the ground or words to that effect. If I am mistaken I don’t mind being corrected.

As far back as in the 1960s when marijuana was once again becoming a popular drug of choice in Trinidad and Tobago the Government of the day had begun an awareness drive to combat its negative effects. (I recall a close friend Roy Fredericks , not the cricketer, acting in a locally produced film where he acted the role of a drug addict.)

Forward to 1984 when the then Government hosted a productivity conference at Chaguaramas at which presenters brought the matter of Trinidad and Tobago being a transshipment point for cocaine entering from neighboring Columbia on to the larger consuming North American countries unto Europe etc.

In 1989-1990 we were again treated to a concerted effort through NADAPP to train persons in drug intervention etc. and in 1992 there was an International Drug Interdiction forum in Texas on the subject matter.I was one of the participants on that forum.

I say all this to indicate that it may well have been that the Prime Minister was poorly advised into making that statement, and I daresay quite a number of the Government’s decisions have been based on the false premise that it was a politically motivated policy of the former administration the People's National Movement rather than an international effort to deal a mortal blow to the drug trade not just on the seas but in the skies. Consistent dismantling of former initiatives by the UNC Coalition Government may well have set back all efforts so far at curtailing the drugs and gun trade. I hesitate to place a darker or more sinister motive to the State’s advisers.

The uninitiated may scoff at the seriousness of the matter and its unfortunate, I think, that we are still such an unenlightened society that differing points of view often cause the messenger to be destroyed with the message. The evidence of rampant lawlessness, murders, and kidnappings of recent past should be enough to convince even the most fervent believer in the Government that not all decisions are to our nations benefit.

Other actions by the Government have had very negative reactions so much so that its popularity among even its most fervent supporters has taken a beating. Instead of consolidating its gains there is now a perception by several media commentators that the UNC Coalition is in a battle to survive the next two and a half years of its mandate.

One can only hope that those charged with the responsibility of helping to chart a new direction for a country where countless families have been affected by the Drug trade will have a vision other than pointing fingers at past administrations and instead make use of the institutionalized knowledge existing in Trinidad and Tobago.