PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC—Opposition Leader Kamla Persad Bissessar has reiterated the main opposition United National Congress (UNC) ‘s position that it will not now support Trinidad and Tobago’s move to become a full member of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ).
Speaking at a public meeting of her party on Monday night, Persad Bissessar also took issue with the chairman of the Constitutional Review Committee, Barendra Sinanan, SC, a former speaker of Parliament, whom she said appeared on a radio program supporting the CCJ replacing the London-based Privy Council as the country’s highest and final court.
“I am going to warn you now, the UNC will never at this vote to abolish the Privy Council, not at this time,” she told supporters, adding, “I do not trust this government. We will not support that.”
Trinidad and Tobago government needs a special majority in the Parliament to join the CCJ, and the UNC controls 19 of the 41 seats in the Legislative Chamber.
‘I have a serious matter with them, you know. The chairman of this Constitutional Reform Commission appeared on a radio program recently, and a chairman consulting has to keep a neutral ground.
“You don’t give your view. We all have views. If you are chairing, what are you there to do? You are there to listen to points people are bringing forward,” she added.
She said that the chairman has shown bias and needs to step down.
“The chairman openly endorsed abolishing the Privy Council on that radio program. So, if you have already made up your mind, move the Privy Council, abolish it, and go to the CCJ.
“Can you imagine that you cannot be chairman …and you already made up your mind? So, I would ask the government to reconsider. I know the chairman. I know he is a decent human being… a respectable lawyer. I think he knows what he has to do; he has to recuse himself.”
At least five Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries—Barbados, Belize, Guyana, Dominica, and St. Lucia—have made the Trinidad-based CCJ their final court. The regional countries, including Trinidad and Tobago, have joined the Original Jurisdiction of the Court, which also serves as an international tribunal interpreting the revised Treaty of Chaguaramas that governs CARICOM.
Persad Bissessar said the UNC would also not support the Constitutional reform exercise.
“I am of the view that the entire commission is a mamaguy, pappyshow, a ploy…and therefore, I have no intention of giving it any legitimacy,” he said, accusing Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley’s government of establishing several committees to hoodwink the population.
“Committee after committee after committee, that’s what they do,” she added.
In January, Prime Minister Rowley told a news conference that the committee members must be asked to craft a constitution.
“They are simply being asked to facilitate and advance a national discourse on the subject and to be the sounding board, the post office, into which any interested parties, agencies (and) organizations will want to put their views to this facility advisory committee.”
He said the committee members will receive the support and resources to conduct open consultations and collate and draft a working document for the constitutional conference in June, at which proposed amendments will be discussed.
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