Kamla makes a stand for integrity; Opposition walks out on Ramesh

Siparia Member of Parliament Kamla Persad-Bissessar told the Trinidad & Tobago House of Representatives Friday the opposition would consider taking legal action if President George Maxwell Richards does not speedily appoint members to the Integrity Commission.

All four members of Trinidad and Tobago's Integrity Commission resigned two months ago after a high court judge ruled that the commission had acted improperly in dealing with former cabinet minister Dr Keith Rowley and awarded him more than $100,000 in costs and damages.

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Persad Bissessar was speaking in the debate on a Bill to amend the Integrity in Public Life Act. The UNC Deputy Political leader said it is ludicrous to be debating such an amendment when the Integrity Commission has no members.

She described the legislation as "spinning top in mud" and called on the president to appoint members to the Commission. The former Attorney General told the House she has written to the president on the matter.

She said if there is no response the Opposition would consider issuing "a pre-action protocol letter" to call for judicial review with respect to the delay by the President to make the appointments.

Acting Attorney General Christine Kangaloo, who piloted the Bill, said the main amendment of the Act is to repeal the section with respect to complaints. She said the amendment would allow complaints be made in the form of a sworn statutory declaration, which would contain particulars of the breach and would be made advisable to the person whom the complaint is made against.

She said that would place an obligation on the Integrity Commission to notify a person against whom the complaints are made.The amendments would also impose a fine of $500,000 and a five-year prison sentence for anyone who makes false statements to the Integrity Commission and wastes the Commission's time.

In addition it would extend from six months to one year the time for a persons to declare their assets to the commission.

Persad-Bissessar questioned the rationale for such amendments, saying persons report crimes such as murder or rape to the police are not required to make any sworn statutory declaration.

She suggested that the proposed amendment would discourage people from making complaints. And she noted that there are already penalties in place to punish anyone found to have deliberately and knowingly submitted false information to the Commission.

UNC Walkout

There was some unexpected drama on the opposition benches as MPs staged a walkout on on one of their own - fired chief whip Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj - leaving the Tabaquite MP alone on the back bench. His parliamentary colleagues Jack Warner and Winston "Gypsy" Peters, who have pledged to sit with Maharaj, were not there.

Warner is out of the country on FIFA business and Peters had earlier excused himself to watch the final one-day international between the West Indies and England.

The scene led to picong from the government side. "What, Ramesh boy, is you alone!" they heckled. Maharaj took it in stride.

"It is very difficult speaking from this height. I have a better view of the Government. But I am obstructed in my view of my colleagues," Maharaj said to chuckles from members. With no other opposition member present Maharaj had some fun of his own.

"Mr Deputy Speaker, it seems as though I am enjoying the functions of Chief Whip for a little while longer," he quipped. Then he offered Easter greetings, "on behalf of the Opposition", to the Christian community.

Earlier in the week Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday fired Maharaj as Chief Whip. He was acting on a report from the Parliamentary caucus and the UNC's national executive that said the MPs and the executive had lost confidence in Maharaj. Panday appointed Caroni central MP Dr Hamza Rafeeq to the post.