PNM calls Law Association "political opportunists"

Attorney General John Jeremie is not accepting the criticism by the Law Association that he was out of line to criticize Justice Rajendra Narine, suggesting that the judge should not have referred an affidavit by Muslimeen leader Yasin Abu Bakr to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and Commission of Police (CoP) for investigation.

Bakr's affidavit alleged that he had a deal with Prime Minister Patrick Manning to help the People's National Movement (PNM) win the 2002 general election and in return he would get several favours, including the forgiving of a multi-million-dollar debt to the state.

“All I will say is that I have read the comments and they are misconceived and ill-informed,” Newsday quoted Jeremie as saying.

Newsday said the PNM issued a media release Saturday calling the association "a bunch of political opportunists" and "political masqueraders".

The paper said the release was in the form of an unsigned email from the PNM’s Public Relations Officer, Jerry Narace, attacking the Association for its comments about Jeremie and previous comments made by Law Association President Martin Daly relating to the Prime Minister’s vetoing of Justice Carla Brown-Antoine for the post of DPP.

"The PNM notes with concern recent developments which have seen the hijacking of the once venerable Law Association by a bunch of political opportunists bent on engaging the duly elected Government in political warfare,” Newsday reported the release as saying.

The paper said it was sent by PNM staff member Tricia Harripaul and headed "PNM Condemns Political Law Association". It quoted from the document, which accused the Law Association of open hostility to the PNM and its leader and of continuing "to parrot positions indistinguishable from that of the Opposition parties."

It continued, "The PNM has every confidence that the discerning public will recognise the gamesmanship being employed by the political masqueraders and will reject them as it has consistently rejected all previous masqueraders brave enough to take off their masks or legal robes to engage in overt political activity.

"Given the knee jerk hostility of the Law Association leadership to the PNM and its leader, it came as no surprise that the Association would find some way to justify the extra-legal intervention of now Appeal Court Judge Rajendra Narine in using an affidavit that had been struck out by superior courts.

"While not entirely unexpected, the attempt to attack the Honourable Attorney General for exposing Justice Narine’s legal adventurism, is none the less deplorable," it said.

It also suggested that "the Law Association has also bordered on contempt of Parliament," noting that Jeremie’s statement in Parliament was "approved by the Speaker".