Prime Minister Kamla Persad-­Bissessar says the majority of law-abiding people and businesses in Trinidad and Tobago support an extension of the state of emergency (SoE) and her Government’s actions to deal with threats to the State and citizens.The Prime Minister yesterday also sent a message to some business groups, chambers and unions that have expressed concern over the SoE extension: “listen to your members”.Thirteen trade unions delivered a letter to the Office of the Prime Minister in Port of Spain earlier yesterday, objecting to the prohibition of protests within 500 metres of 15 designated areas, including Parliament, courts, prisons, police stations and other Government locations.Persad-Bissessar immediately dismissed the concerns when questioned by the Express, insisting that the State had a duty to protect citizens.The Prime Minister emphasised there were numerous locations throughout the country where people could hold peaceful protests.“Trinidad and Tobago has a land area of 5,131 square kilometres. The area around the 15 buildings listed covers 11.77 square kilometres or 0.23% of our total land area. Therefore all citizens have 5,119.23 square kilometres or 99.77% of the country to use for protests,” she said.She added: “The 500-metre zone around these buildings was used because at that distance the effects of small arms and rifle gunfire are ­negated.The action was taken following the repeated attempts to provoke the TTPS and the mobbing of the DPP’s office to intimidate and harass persons working there.”Persad-Bissessar reiterated that the State had a duty to protect legitimate protesters, public servants and citizens working in and visiting those critical, high-risk, high-security buildings “because gatherings were being infiltrated by gang members, persons with criminal records, crazy people, race grifters”.“Law-abiding citizens are amazed at the absurdity and hilarity where there are people protesting to say they can’t protest, having public meetings to say they can’t have public meetings, and on persons freely voicing opinions on every mainstream and social media platform claiming their voices are being muzzled.“I encourage union leaders to focus on issues and work to actually benefit their members,” she said.‘Self-promotion’The Express pointed out that some business groups had asked the Government to show evidence that the SoE was working.The Prime Minister said everyone wants improvement and change, but most people are not willing to make “small adjustments” to achieve those improvements.“Most of these business groups leaders’ comments are not backed by their actual vast majority of law-abiding citizens and businesses are supporting the Government’s actions to deal with threats to the State and citizens. Most are just engaging in self-promotion,” she said.The Express also noted reports that some trade unions and the Tobago arm of the Chamber of Commerce had expressed concern.Persad-Bissessar insisted that the majority of citizens supported the SoE and efforts to make the country safer.“For about 25 years the country has been tormented by violence, over 10,000 murders, over 20,000 reported rapes and sexual assaults, tens of thousands of robberies, beatings and other violent acts. Little children and women beaten, raped and brutally murdered, men gunned down for not joining a gang or because they resisted extortion. The protection of law-abiding, God-fearing citizens of this country from violent threats supersedes everything. These measures are temporary because we can’t have another violent 25 years and we did before,” she said.The Express noted that the Chaguanas Chamber of Industry and Commerce had indicated its support for the SoE and had further suggested hotspot curfews, but the Prime Minister said this was not being ­considered.Opposition signalsno supportThe Opposition People’s National Movement (PNM) has signalled that it will not be supporting the SoE when the matter comes up for debate in Parliament today, and the Prime Minister said that position came with instructions.“The owners of the PNM clearly have instructed the leaders of the PNM to not support. I would have thought that the sensible behaviour would be to wait to hear the Government’s points and evidence before making a decision,” she said.Persad-Bissessar said the PNM does not care that the majority of murder victims come from its ­traditional stronghold areas ­throughout the country. “All they care about is the safety and prosperity of the owners of the PNM,” she said.She added that if the PNM chooses to walk out of the debate today, it is their constitutional right to do so.Asked if she expects any support from the Independent benches for the SoE in the Senate, Persad-Bissessar said: “I don’t expect anything different between the PNM A and PNM B teams in both Houses.”Asked how she would respond to those who argue that people’s constitutional rights are being stifled under the SoE, Persad-Bissessar said: “I don’t plan to argue with political and race grifters, publicity farmers and deranged people.”The Prime Minister said communities across the country want peace and security.She said: “The kids that are walking for peace could not have done that in years gone by. They are fed up of seeing their loved ones killed by engaging in a war that makes no sense led by gang leaders and members who oppress them and their families. The Government and security services will do whatever it takes to give these communities and kids a chance for a better life despite the opposition from some selfish and self-serving sections of society.”