- NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 25/Aug 07:02

Chambers: Regional safety good, war bad for business

SOME business groups have expressed mixed reactions to Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar's expression of support for a US naval deployment in the southern Caribbean Sea. Persad-Bissessar expressed that support in a statement on August 23. In a WhatsApp comment, Greater San Fernando Chamber of Commerce president Kiran Singh said, "War is never good for business. We must remember that in our efforts to avert international conflict." Referring to Persad-Bissessar's comments about drug and arms trafficking in the region, Singh said, "The operation of drug cartels in the Caribbean region is expanding. Human trafficking and money laundering are significant international crimes within the network." He agreed with Persad-Bissessar about the reach of cartels in Caribbean societies. "Banking, finance, money laundering and human trafficking are significant criminal activities that occur with growing prevalence." Singh said, "We need a superpower to ensure that the balance of power is not tipped to countries losing their sovereignty and geographical space to the military might of our southern neighbours." He recalled TT signing a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with the US last December. Singh said that meant "military action can be engaged through this country if the USA deems it necessary." American Chamber of Commerce CEO Nirad Tewarie recalled since the 1960's, Caricom nations had tried to maintain the Caribbean as a zone of peace. [caption id="attachment_1174125" align="alignnone" width="683"] Nirad Tewarie -[/caption] But he said, "Trans national drug and terrorist organisations are undermining that as they operate outside both national and multi-national rules, norms and laws." A safer region, Tewarie continued, will be a more prosperous one in which there are more social and economic opportunities. "Military assets from several countries routinely patrol the international waters of the Caribbean Sea on drug-interdiction missions." He said, "Hopefully these extra assets will result in greater success in terms of disruption of these criminal, terrorist networks and, ideally, lead to the apprehension of some of the leaders of these networks. Tewarie added recent assistance by the US Government to train and screen police officers for a specially vetted unit in the police service is a good example "of how we can collaborate with our international partners in this regard and leverage those partnership." Confederation of Regional Business Chambers co-ordinator Jai Leladharsingh described the US-Venezuela tensions as worrisome. He said this is not surprising given the tense relationship between both countries. "I do agree that something has to be done to permanently shut down these drug cartels and being these criminals to justice." While the Caribbean has long been considered a zone of peace, Leladharsingh claimed, "This has become impossible given the horrible governance taking place in Latin America." He said the political and socio-economic situation in Venezuela is not of recent vintage. "The USA should have dealt with Venezuela a long time ago. Since the time of Hugo Chavez. Leladharsingh said, "Successive US governments did nothing and kept kicking the can down the road." He said Venezuelan president Nicholas Maduro and other South American leaders had been accused of rigging elections in their countries.   The post Chambers: Regional safety good, war bad for business appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.