All democracies are built on strong institutions with the purpose of protecting the open society and freedoms which form the basis of their constitutions. The Strategic Services Agency (SSA) is one such agency formed by statute in 1995. Its primary purpose is to provide intelligence services to facilitate the detection and prevention of illicit traffic in narcotic drugs and to provide intelligence and analytical support for the appropriate operational and intelligence arms of the appropriate services in T&T. It is also responsible for communicating with the corresponding services of other countries. These functions ought not to be undervalued or underestimated.
T&T’s geography makes it an important transhipment point in the drug trade, as it lies close to a major drug-producing region, Latin America. With drugs come arms and violent crime. The front pages of every newspaper this week have given ample evidence of the pervasiveness of gun-related crime and assassinations that take place with impunity on the main streets and highways and even outside schools.
As evidence of the risks facing our country, we cite the prosecution and conviction of former Honduras president Juan Orlando Hernandez in a US Federal court last Friday, for protecting and accepting bribes from drug traffickers. Prosecutors said Hernandez used the country’s policy and military to move drug shipments to the USA. On February 8th, 2024, former British Virgin Islands premier Andrew Fahie was also convicted in a federal court of drug trafficking and money laundering.
The US has made similar charges against high-ranking members of the armed services and government officials in neighbouring Venezuela. Manuel Noriega, former president and army chief of Panama, was similarly accused. If the drug cartels can reach the highest levels of political influence, or entwine high-ranking elements of the protective services, all the institutions of democracy must be strengthened and made more accountable
Nor are drug trafficking and the prevalence of gangs the only risks we face. Several nationals journeyed to the Middle East as ISIS recruits and now await return to T&T. The country has already faced one attempted coup by Muslim extremists, a precursor to the gang-related violence we now witness daily. What will happen when they are repatriated?
The SSA is, therefore, an important tool in the state’s armoury to defend against the powerful and insidious forces that have taken root here. Its role and function ought not to be politicised and undermined. Yet, this is precisely what we are witnessing. Given the evidence provided by other countries, the SSA has a right and duty to ensure all suspicious links and contacts are investigated.
In her time as prime minister, Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar did not distinguish herself in how she handled the SSA’s operation. Neither did Dr Keith Rowley in pursuit of “Emailgate”, which produced only hot air.
It is unfortunate, given the daily evidence of gun proliferation, that the Opposition Leader has sought to undermine the legitimate operation of the agency. Such organisations must have strong internal processes that can deal with human frailties which will inevitably arise. People make mistakes, as do politicians and by extension governments. Reviews are necessary periodically. Like Caesar’s wife, the SSA is not above reproach and there is a need to agree on oversight mechanisms. But that requires a different approach.
A general election is near, and it is tempting to make every opportunity a campaign issue. The SSA and the current review should not be one of those issues.