Trinidad Opposition Party PNM Vows to Challenge Further SoE Extensions in Court

The Opposition party in Trinidad and Tobago, the People’s National Movement (PNM), is gearing up for a legal battle over the extension of the State of Emergency (SoE). This was announced by Marvin Gonzales, former Minister of National Security and Member of Parliament for Arouca/Lopinot, during a PNM public meeting. He revealed that the Opposition party will file a constitutional motion if the United National Congress (UNC) Government decides to seek another extension of the emergency measures.

According to Gonzales, the Government has already hinted at a return to Parliament to extend the SoE. He argued that the use of emergency powers is infringing on citizens’ constitutional rights and freedoms. Gonzales cited legal decisions in Jamaica as a precedent, where courts have ruled against the continued use of states of emergency as a means to combat crime.

He further highlighted a ruling by a three-judge panel in Jamaica last year, which found proclamations issued in late 2022 to be invalid as they breached the constitutional separation of powers. Drawing parallels, Gonzales accused the Trinidadian Government of using the SoE to suppress opposition voices instead of addressing criminal activity.

Moreover, Gonzales raised questions about the basis on which previous emergency declarations were implemented. He alleged that the Government justified these measures by citing threats against senior law enforcement officials, parliament members, and judiciary members. However, he claimed that no charges had been laid in connection with these alleged threats.