National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds is defending the decision by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley to reveal part of the audit into the Strategic Services Agency (SSA).
Responding to questions from the media at the launch of an anti-crime initiative called Call to Order at City Hall, Port-of-Spain, yesterday, Hinds said the Prime Minister spoke when he felt it was necessary.
On July 3, Rowley said a cult in the SSA with highly-trained military operators, armed with the latest weaponry, was on a mission to overthrow the Government.
“Such persons belonged to a cult which was arming itself while preaching a doctrine for trained military and paramilitary personnel with a religious calling to be the most suitable to replace the country’s political leadership,” Dr Rowley said.
On Sunday, criminologist Dr Daurius Figueira accused Dr Rowley of acting prematurely in revealing some of the findings of the ongoing audit into the operations of the SSA, especially under the cloak of parliamentary privilege. Asked about this, Hinds said, “I didn’t think that the Prime Minister’s comments were premature. We’ve been dealing with this for months now. The Prime Minister indicated to the national community a few months ago his preliminary understanding of the facts and promised that he would keep the nation abreast.”
He added that last week the PM determined it was a good time to update the country, and he did.
Hinds said that as soon as the matter came to the attention of the Prime Minister, the head of the SSA, Major Roger Best, was replaced.
Best was replaced on March 2 by retired Brigadier General Anthony Phillips-Spencer, who is conducting an audit of the SSA. Since then, three people have been charged, and 28 people have been fired from the agency. Those charged were self-professed spy and pastor of the church Ian Brown, Sgt Sherwin Waldron, and Suzan Portell-Griffith, a former security supervisor with the SSA.
Hinds said that as the audit continues, police investigations will also continue. “What the Prime Minister also said was that all of these matters are engaging the attention of the police, and it will be not just premature, but it will be too engaging. It will be crossing the line if the Prime Minister got involved in that aspect of it,” Hinds said when asked how soon there will be arrests in the alleged coup plot.
Using music as a
crime-fighting tool
Meanwhile, the Government has launched a music competition among eight to 24 year-olds named Call to Order as they plan to use music as a crime-fighting tool.
Call to Order is a spin-off of the song “The Call” by local reggae singers Mr King (Marvin Lewis), Isasha (Brendon Young), King David (David Nieves), Ziggy Rankin (Khori Francis), and Prophet Benjamin (Devon Samuel). Hinds said that after hearing the song, he was moved to act and reached out to the men.
The outcome was a competition over the next three months where the competitors will be judged by likes and shares on social media platform Instagram.
The competition will be in three categories: eight to 12, 13 to 19, and 20 to 24. In a group of no more than five, the participants will have to upload their song touching on ending violence in their communities.
Hinds highlighted how reggae music guided him as a young man.
Hinds suggested a dance aspect to the competition. The project aims to target some 500,000 youth. The singers all encouraged youths to use music as a rudder to steer them away from crime.
Hinds said there is no lack of opportunities for the youth, but there is a “pulling force” that must be beaten and supported by the initiative, as music has the power to transform and heal. The competition winner for each category will receive a recording session, video production, and a trophy. The second and third-place groups will each receive a trophy.