Amid the ongoing investigation into the Strategic Services Agency (SSA), it is unsettling to hear Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley speaking out, although in veiled terms, about the state agency becoming “one” with criminal elements.
In an address to members of the audience at the launch of a housing development project in Caura, Tunapuna, yesterday, the Prime Minister stopped just short of calling the SSA by name but suggested that the problem of crime had “multiplied” over the past two weeks, owing to a surreptitious breakdown in trust at the authority which had been placed in a position of handling the country’s national security affairs.
This admission by the Prime Minister does nothing to calm the fears of law-abiding citizens, who are desperately hoping and praying for an end to the recent surge in violent crimes. Indeed, quite apart from taking comfort in Dr Rowley’s words, as a nation, we should feel very unnerved since the Prime Minister’s public utterances seem to imply that sensitive and classified information has been compromised, which could ultimately endanger national security and undermine the smooth functioning of the State.
Specifically, as it relates to the SSA, it is our fervent hope that the situation is not beyond repair.
However, recent revelations at the agency responsible for safeguarding national security secrets have undermined trust within the agency itself, among allied intelligence services, and among the general public.
This unfortunate situation also has the potential to harm relationships and cooperation with other nations, thereby affecting the sharing of vital information and collaborative efforts.
And while it is not our intention to accuse anyone within the SSA of criminal behaviour until the investigators have concluded their probe, we are deeply concerned that an agency known for its strict confidentiality protocols could not prevent so-called criminal infiltration through the rigorous screening processes and regular polygraph tests that it was expected to uphold.
We can only now hope that the recommendations resulting from a thorough review of its operations will be both impactful and beneficial for the security of our nation.
Until then, we are left like the Prime Minister to wonder aloud “who will guard the guards?”
In his impassioned speech, Dr Rowley also expressed strong concern about the proliferation of illegal weapons on the streets of T&T, while complaining that individuals with knowledge of these weapons were choosing not to report the criminals.
He even went as far as to call on citizens to blow the whistle, even when it involves family, friends, neighbours or colleagues.
However, given public apprehension that the State’s machinery may not effectively protect them, as evidenced by instances where information provided to law enforcement has been compromised, the Prime Minister’s appeal may never convince law-abiding citizens to expose the criminal elements around them.
This is because there may be fatal consequences for the whistleblowers themselves, a point not lost on the Prime Minister yesterday either.
Overall, it is a sad state of affairs to be in but Dr Rowley must take the lead, as head of the National Security Council, in attempting to salvage the situation and placing the focus where it should be — eradicating the criminal element.