Remembering Martin Joseph Published: Wednesday, January 7, 2015 The sudden loss of PNM stalwart and former Minister of National Security Martin Joseph left the public stunned on Monday. Mr Joseph had been exercising with his friend, Andre Monteil, while on vacation in Tobago and went to Grange Bay for “a quick dip.” Caught in the currents offshore, he was tragically pulled under the rough waters. Martin Rupert Joseph entered public office as a member of the PNM in 1992, serving first as Chairman of the board of directors of the Public Transport Service Corporation and as a member of the board of National Flour Mills. He brought to those assignments an impressive education in economics and the sciences, after taking his MSc in the subject from the University of Maryland, having previously earned a BA in Geography and an Associate Degree in Marine Sciences. Prior to those appointments he had already made his mark in Industrial Relations and Human Resource management and served as an Associate Faculty Member at Henley’s Management College and as Lecturer in Strategic Management at the Institute of Business of the University of the West Indies. His first political appointment was as Minister of Public Utilities and the Environment in April 2002 before becoming Minister of Housing in October 2002. A year later, in November 2003, he took the national hotseat, accepting the considerable challenge of leading the Ministry of National Security for the longest run in recent memory, from November 2003 to May 2010. On his controversial watch, PNM Public Relations Officer Faris Al Rawi noted, kidnapping for ransom was reduced to zero. But that success was overshadowed by the steadily rising crime rate, addressed by anti-crime plans that never quite seemed to result in reductions in the crime rate or increases in detection. It would also be under Mr Joseph’s supervision that the anti-crime unit, SAUTT began its surveillance and the “airship,” as he would repeatedly correct anyone referencing the inflatable surveillance craft everyone else called the blimp, began its slow, apparently meandering patrols in the nation’s skies. When the issue of wiretapping was explored by the incoming People’s Partnership government, Mr Joseph was moved to clarify his position on the matter, which he summed up by noting that he had “never authorised the wiretapping of any citizen of T&T.” Under the supervision of Mr Joseph, T&T successfully hosted, in an environment of enhanced safety and security, the Fifth Summit of the Americas and the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 2009, two major international conferences that positioned this country positively among its peers. He also served as Chair of CICTE, the OAS department for Counter-terrorism and worked on the Caricom Security Policy, leading to the formation of the regional security organisation, IMPACS. After his time in office, Martin Joseph seemed to disappear from the political landscape. The last reporting on the former National Security Minister came in July 2012, after he was robbed at his Flagstaff Hill home. The 62-year-old tried to wrestle the weapon from the robber but ended up hogtied, though unhurt, after the ordeal. During his time leading the PNM Government’s response to crime, Mr Joseph championed the idea of a gun court and a gun amnesty—projects that, to this day, have not been successfully implemented. Mr Joseph was ready to make a return to active politics, resting in Tobago before returning to the planning of the PNM’s campaign for the next election. That won’t happen for him but Martin Joseph, described as honest, meticulous and professional, who operated by the personal motto of “build to last,” has left a personal and institutional legacy to the political party he believed in and the country he loved. Rest in peace, sir. Editorial Source:: Trinidad Guardian The post Remembering Martin Joseph appeared first on Trinidad & Tobago Online. #trinidad
Posted on: Wed, 07 Jan 2015 03:49:32 +0000
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