Business
Trinidad and Tobago: Impact of State of Emergency
Many Trinidadians complain that innocent people are being targeted.
Michael Blackman, a 30-year-old disc jockey from Port-of-Spain, said he was detained when he tried to move his car from the street into his friend’s garage just after 11 p.m.
“The police jeep pulled up and this police began screaming at me in a really aggressive manner: ‘Are you aware of the time?’” Blackman said in an interview with The Associated Press.
He said he was arrested on a Friday and not released until Monday after he appeared before a judge.
Others accuse police of arresting people for sitting on their porch or in their yard, said Rachel Price, a well-known local comedian who, like musicians, has found much fodder in curfew anecdotes.
“If I have paid my mortgage, it involves my porch, not so?” she said. “I told police I was going to sit naked on my porch and smoke a cigarette. If they want to arrest me, the whole world will see my lumpy body.”
Islanders also worry about the curfew’s impact on the economy.
A report by Trinidad’s First Citizens Bank said a state of emergency can lead to a perception of instability that makes global investors wary and dampen business if imposed for more than three months. But the report also found that in the long run, business will likely thrive as a result of decreased crime.
The first economic woes were felt in October by those who celebrated Diwali, which Hindus consider one of the most important festivals of the year. The main celebration and fireworks show was canceled, with organizers saying the festival drew only 10 percent to 15 percent of the usual crowd.
With the holiday season and the 2012 Carnival approaching in February, Trinidadians now worry about having to postpone or cancel numerous parties.
“When you start getting to affecting people’s enjoyment, you’re beginning to play with the willingness of a society to support a state of emergency,” said Ivelaw Griffith, an expert on Caribbean security at City University of New York.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.
