Speaking during the debate on the State of Emergency Rowley said: "I have no doubt that there are people in the country, in the Government, some of them in the Cabinet, few of them even staring at me right now, who believe that the problem the country faces has to do with identifying particular persons, stereotype them, stamp on them, wire them 'round with barb wire and throw dry grass into the pen."
Rowley said there is a greave danger that when the the State of Emergency provisions and the Anti-Gang bill are put together innocent people could be abused.
Rowley demanded that National Security Minister John Sandy explain the nature of the crisis that lef to the declaration of the emergency. "He can't even present us with a scenario about what is this thing that they prevented us from," Rowley said.
Rowley noted that so far no one has been able to say that any detainee has been identified as posing a threat to national security.
He also accused the government of using the emergency measures to suppress the trade union movement.
The opposition leader also criticised the government for its decision to disband the Special Anti-Crime Unit (SAUTT) that had been set up during the previous administration by former Prime Minister Patrick Manning.
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