Editorial: Time to defend our freedom

Chief Justice Ivor Archie sounded alarm bells Wednesday about the implications for the Independence of the Judiciary in the draft constitution that Prime Minister Patrick Manning has been selling across the country.

That alone is enough for citizens to be deeply concerned. But looking at the immediate situation, there is even more reason for worry.

The Judiciary requested $349 million to carry out its work, which includes administration and maintenance of its physical infrastructure; it got $42.5 million.

What it means, according to Archie, is that many of the things that were supposed to happen in terms of improving the judicial system will have to be put on hold.

"There will be no Family Court roll out this year without a significant supplementary appropriation ... and our ability to deliver on the refurbishment of physical facilities, especially in the Magistrates' Courts, is severely restricted," he noted.

"We will just do the best we can, as always," Archie promised.

We find it unbelievable that the Manning government, which is spending $116 million to buy and refurbish diplomatic properties, and many millions more for state propaganda and ego-boosting mega projects, is short-changing one of the most important arms in the administration of the nation.

A glance at where the money is going in the $44 billion budget suggests that the Manning administration is deliberately undermining the Judiciary.

There are many ways to destabilize any institution. One way is to starve it of vital funds. And this is exactly what the government is doing in Trinidad and Tobago today.

The allocation of $42.5 million is small change compared to other expenditure. For example, the recent summit of the Americas cost nearly one billion dollars. The November Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting (CHOGM) will likely cost ten times what the government is giving the Judiciary. Then there's Manning's $12 million entertainment allowance.

And on Tuesday the government paid $24.6 million for a property in Toronto for its consulate in Toronto - more than half of what it is giving to the Judiciary. And it is yet to explain why the 2010 estimates show $46.2 million for the purchase, when the final price of $24.6 (Cdn$4.25) was set since July.

Money has been tossed around "like it going out of style", yet the one place that needs it most isn't getting it. Can this Manning government be serious about dealing with the administration of justice?

It is no secret that Manning wants control of the Judiciary. His draft constitution proposes a Justice Minister who would be a political appointee unlike the Chief Justice, who isn't.

In the present constitution the Judiciary is one of three equal but separate branches of government and is independent of political influence.

That is under threat today. And citizens must raise their voices to defend the one institution that offers protection for their rights and freedoms; to lose judicial independence is to lose freedom itself.

The administration's underhand method of destabilizing the Judiciary by providing only financial crumbs for its operation is the clearest signal yet of Manning's disdain for the judicial system and the rule of law.

And the worst is yet to come, unless the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago, the media, politicians and other primary definers in our society unite for once to defend our freedom and democracy itself.

Now is not the time to sit on the fence. Now is the time to act; tomorrow is too late!

Read the Trinidad Express editorial