from West Indies News Bulletin*
At a recent meeting at the West Indian Students' Centre, the policies of the Governments of Trinidad and Tobago which threaten public liberties in the West Indies were severely condeimed. Speakers at the meeting were: George Lamming (West Indian writer); Cleston Taylor (trade unionist) and John La Rose (journalist). The meeting denounced the action of the Williams' Government of Trinidad and Tobago in confi ing C.L.R. Jemes, the well-known West Indian writer, to house ncbon
The meeting, convened edie the joint auspices of: the West Indies Students' Union (London) and the Standing Conference of West Indian Organisations adopted a resolution which deplored the attacks on civil liberties in the West Indies and*which pledged West Indian workers and' students in London to support those attacked. The resolution also asked West Indians to do all they could to circulate the ext of the statement listing attacks on civil liberties in the West Indies,
In Jamaica since independence, the Government has carried out an entirely reactionary policy bys
1) banning marches and demonstrations by workers;
2) curtailing freedom of speech on the raii.o;
-(3) using the armed forces to intimidate the population; and
4) introduringe system of work permits which have represented am attack on the academic freedom of the University of the West Indies,
In Trinidad and Tobago, the economy is still in the hands ‘of foreign imperialists. “hile the regime has failed to break up the’ colonial’ set-up, it has acted with the colonialists against the fundamental rights of the people. It has taken the following steps:
(1) Established a Commission in 1963 to investigate the trade unions, youth organisations and public services. Criticism of the Government has been branded subversion by this Commission
(2) then the Government discovered a'plot'to subvert the unions, which were in the forefront of the struggle against the status quo. Militant trade unionism became subversion; :
(3) for the first time in ten years the Government proclaimed a state of emergency to break up a workers' strike and protect corrupt trade union officials from the wrath of the workers;
(4) passed the Industrial Stabilisation Act which gives the Government and employers a free hand to act as _they like towards the workers and the unionse * West Indies News Bulletin can be obtained from: W..N-Be, Sly Upland Ries London N.8e