Senate VP determined to prevent caucus of indepedent senators

The Vice President of the Trinidad and Tobago Senate, George Hadeed, has reiterated his earlier concerns that it would be wrong for independent senators to discuss the Joint Select Committee or the Urban Development Company of Trinidad and Tobago (UDeCOTT).

And he insists that there is nothing improper with him cautioning them against holding such a caucus.

Hadeed wrote to the nine Independent Senators, warning them "against caucusing as a group on any issues pertinent to the Parliament, other than logistical issues, or meeting with technocrats or specialist advisers."

The letter, which he copied to President Max Richards, stated further, "Your independence from political parties and for one another must be maintained in fact and in appearance".

Hadeed told the Trinidad Express Monday, "They should only be meeting to say, 'Okay, we would appoint X or Y to be our representative on the JSC.' But if they are meeting to discuss the issue of the JSC or UDeCOTT, then that is wrong."

He said independent Senators do not constitute a political party and should work and make decisions independently, therefore it is improper for them to meet to discuss "the way forward" on the JSC and UDeCOTT matter.

But at least some of the nine senators don't share this view. One of them has stated clearly that Hadeed is totally out of place and if anyone has to advise the senators on their role and responsibility it must be President Richards. Another suggested that Hadeed's move is an attempt at bullying and intimidation.

But Hadeed is adamant that both he and the President of the Senate can advise and caution members of the Upper House. "That is the job of the President of the Senate... As the head of a body, it is my responsibility to do that. I am not the one who appointed them or who can dismiss them. But while they are senators, they are under the ambit of the President of the Senate... so there is nothing wrong with him cautioning them," he told the paper.

Hadeed also said he could caution them about actions outside of Parliament if such action relates to matters of the senate. He said he wrote the letter because he was concerned that the group was planning to meet not to decide who might sit on the JSC if invited but rather how they should deal with the probe. "They were not appointed as a group," he said.

But he admitted that if the senators go ahead with a meeting planned for noon on Tuesday he could do nothing about it.