Trinidad and Tobago's National Shutdown for 2 Days Due to Crime

Submitted by Taran on Thu, 01/25/2007 - 09:54

January 2007 Shutdown of Trinidad and Tobago due to CrimeToday and tomorrow, businesses throughout Trinidad and Tobago will be shutdown as a citizen's protest against the crime in this country. This is to be followed by a public gathering of concerned citizens on Saturday, 27 January 2007.

Will it do anything? Perhaps it will give citizens a feeling of empowerment. Speaking with some business owners in San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago got mixed results.

One person said that the businesses which support the People's National Movement will be open on January 25th and 26th; when asked whether he would be shutting his doors he said,'No, but I don't support the PNM. I have to make money to pay bills.' Another said that it would be irresponsible for a pharmacy to close, and that the pharmacy would be open. A small shop had a wife saying that she wanted to see what other people are doing - while the husband said that 'I support the shutdown 100%'. Word trickles back that Gulf City, the mall in La Romaine, Trinidad, will be sort of closed on Thursday and open on Friday.

Clearly it won't be as dramatic of a shutdown as some would like.

The best explanation I had was from a businessman in North Trinidad. He said that everyone lives in their own 'truth', where everyone in society lives at a different economic level which is very real to them - but is surreal to people of higher economic standing. His point was that such action could shake a few people of higher economic standing - and yet, the average citizen seems to think that if one owns a business one has an implicity higher economic standing.

Whatever happens, 2 days is a relatively short period for a practical shutdown. It can give people a feeling of empowerment, but at the end of the period the Prime Minister, Patrick Manning, and other government officials will still have well stocked shelves in their kitchens. They will not starve, and they are unlikely to be inconvenienced. Embarassment doesn't seem to have an effect either.

Still, it is refreshing for citizens to actually do something. Perhaps it is the start of larger things. Perhaps not.

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Via Roslyn:

Submitted by Taran on Thu, 01/25/2007 - 18:03.

...The organizer of the 3-day protest, a broadcaster on an Islamic station called Ishmael, (oh yes, he happens to be Muslim) was arrested last night under the Terrorism Act, which allows the police to hold someone without charge for 3 days. He was taken by 4 armed plainclothes cops in unmarked cars from his business during a barbecue. His friends and families thought it was a kidnapping as they did not identify themselves as cops, and formed a human barricade. Needless to say, it didn’t end nicely. Ishmael has also had his TV programme yanked and his license to rally on Saturday revoked...

-- Shutdown

The Manicou Report weighs in:

Submitted by Taran on Fri, 01/26/2007 - 12:44.

Trinidad and Tobago Police Service:

...Yesterday was National Shutdown day. Prior to this IBN owner Inshan Ishmael passed around flyers to draw attention to the action. The day before the planned action our of a Commissioner comes on the television to say that anyone preventing another person from moving freely will be dealt with according to the law(or some other out-of-timing, out-of-the-blue statement like that). Just as a point of order, who said anything about preventing anyone from doing anything? If Mr. Trevor Paul had read the flyer instead of depending on word of mouth (he can read right?) he would have seen that this was a peaceful stay-at-home protest. There was nothing in the flyer or e-mail to suggest otherwise. I guess though that those desirous of media attention and those who love the show of authority and force will do what they will...

...Last night like a gang of kidnappers, the Gestapo and the Tonton Macoute all rolled into one, four carloads of plainclothes officer descend on Inshan Ishmael's house to apprehend him. They swooped down on his house and from the sidewalk where he's standing, they bundle him into the car and whisk him away without ever announcing they were police officers...

Great stuff. Read Trinidad and Tobago Police Service.

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