PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Opposition leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar has called on the administration of Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley to immediately announce the date for local government elections following the landmark judgment that the UK-based Privy Council handed down on Thursday.
According to Persad-Bissessar, the ruling is a “red-letter day” in the political history of the twin-island republic.
She said it is also a historic victory for the 54 nations of the Commonwealth governed by the rule of law and representative democracy as it will now set a legal precedent.
The opposition leader also called on the people of Trinidad and Tobago to exercise their right to vote.
“To the public, we have fought to give you the right to vote. Use it wisely to send a clear message to the Rowley PNM that enough is enough. We say to our citizens, Do not tote – vote! Vote against the oppression and tyranny so that the darkness and depression engendered by the Rowley PNM (People’s National Movement) can be dispelled,” said the opposition leader, who also noted the law lords’ emphasis on the importance of the people’s rights to vote.
The UK-based Privy Council ruled that the move by Dr. Keith Rowley-led the administration to extend the term of local government representatives by a year is unlawful.
In the ruling, the law lords upheld an appeal over dismissing a lawsuit challenging the move brought by political activist Ravi Balgobin Maharaj.
In a majority decision, three law lords led by UK Supreme Court President Lord Robert Reed ruled that High Court Judge Jacqueline Wilson and the Court of Appeal got it wrong when they dismissed Maharaj’s case.
Two law lords agreed with the local courts and provided a dissenting judgment – the government must call local elections.
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