Have a safe Halloween!

Panday, Dookeran should step down: NACTA poll

A new poll by the North American Caribbean Teachers Association (NACTA) suggests that supporters of the United National Congress (UNC) are convinced that their party cannot win an election in its present state. And it says a majority of UNC supporters would like UNC leader Basdeo Panday to step down as leader. A NACTA news release stated that its survey of 580 people in mid-October showed a similar picture with the Congress of the People (COP), with a mahjority of COP members saying Winston Dookeran should step down as leader. "They feel Panday should make way for new leadership. Voters in the UNC heartland said Jack Warner, or Kamla Persad-Bissessar, or Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj stand a better chance in uniting the factionalised opposition to take it into government," NACTA stated. NACTA said the view of 88 per cent of UNC supporters feel Panday must clear the way for a new leader while continuing to serve the party in an advisory role. It said it found then same sentiment among 90 per cent of COP supporters. "They blame Panday for the "political bacchanal" in the UNC and Dookeran for rift in the COP, and the two of them for lack of unity in the opposition," NACTA stated. Panday dismissed the poll suggesting it was bogus. "They produce whatever result whoever is paying them would like to see. They are totally without creditability," Panday told the Trinidad Express. Dookeran said "it is generally known that it is a politically inspired poll." NACTA said its poll also found that in "free and fair elections" in the UNC "the RamJack faction will emerge victorious for control of the executive because they are the only MPs who are seen as genuinely battling on behalf of the opposition". It also suggested that Panday is losing support in the Couva North constituency that he has held since entering the House of Representatives in 1976 and might have difficulty winning the seat again. "Voters are switching to RamJack, saying dissident MP Jack Warner of Chaguanas West has provided more services to and spends time with them in a few months than Panday did in 30 years," the NACTA stated.

UNC demands equal treatment for HCU depositors

The Opposition raised the issue of the closure of the Hindu Credit Union (HCU) in Parliament Friday suggesting that the government did not treat the organization fairly.

The House was debating a motion brought by the United National Congress (UNC) to ask the government to take immediate steps to help the tens of thousands of depositors who have been affected by the collapse of credit union.

Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday promised that a UNC government would pay all outstanding monies to HCU depositors. The former prime minister said the government has a moral and quasi-legal duty to bail out, pointing out that the HCU collapse was in part because the state was negligent.

He pointed out that the authorities did not perform their statutory duty to protect the depositors because they failed to undertake the necessary supervisory and investigatory responsibilities.

The Couva North MP also accused the government of ignoring all the warning signs, which began to be seen since 2002. He claimed that instead of properly investigating the HCU the government deceived the depositors and misled citizens into thinking all was well at HCU.

St Augustine MP Vasant Bharath dismissed reasons given by Finance Minister Karen Nunez-Tesheira for the CLICO bailout, calling it "twisted logic to justify discrimination".

Bharath told the House the UNC had no problem with the CL bailout but was just asking that the same rules apply to the HCU.

He charged that the treatment of HCU and its depositors was politically motivated and an indictment on the government showing that it acted in a discriminatory manner.

He said the discrimination is a pattern of the Manning administration that is evident in many facets of national life including:

• the distribution of homes under the state housing program
• the award of government contracts
• the neglect of agriculture
• the appointment of ambassadors
• the funding to cultural activities
• the national awards given on Independence Day
• the various court judgments against the Government
• the prime minister shunning certain cultural functions

"It is a blatant agenda of injustice of the Government," Bharath charged, noting that he was speaking on behalf of the 150,000 depositors of the HCU.

The MP implored the government to "do the right thing despite the fact that the minister of finance and her family have no money in the HCU".

Labour Minister Rennie Dumas intervened to accuse the UNC of using Parliament as a vehicle for the "most vile display of racial claims" and called Bharath's contribution a "blatant attempt to use this honourable institution to create racial war".

Bharath denied the charges, noting that he never mentioned race in his contribution.

But Dumas said Bharath's comments "unmasked" the UNC as an organisation which cared nothing about the law.

Don't blame us for HCU problems: Finance Minister

Finance Minister Karen Nunez-Tesheira blamed the Hindu Credit Union (HCU) Friday for causing its own collapse, stating that the organization frustrated government's attempt to work out a bailout arrangement with it.

The minister made the comment in a debate in the House of representatives on an opposition motion calling on the government to help the credit union that was put into liquidation by the commissioner of credit unions in 2008.

She said on two occasions government tried to buy property from the HCU but was unable to conclude the transactions because there were liens on the properties.

Nunez-Tesheira directly addressed her comment to HCU members who were in Parliament's public gallery. "I want the persons who are sitting in the gallery to understand Government bent over backward to help."

Referring to the UNC, the minister said, "They want you to think that we did not care."

She claimed that when the HCU went to government to seek assistance in April, 2008, the key players asked for $71 million. The government decided to help by offering to buy one of the HCU's properties in Chaguanas, she said.

Nunez-Tesheira added that government held discussions with the Urban Development Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago (UDeCOTT) about buying the "Towers" but ran into legal problems, so it decided to buy another HCU property at Calcutta Settlement in Freeport.

That one was also not free, she said, adding that "Not only that but the valuation report that they indicated to us was done by a firm that the Central Bank used, when we checked with the Central Bank, we found out that it was not true. What is the Government to do?" she asked.

She said when Ernst and Young investigated the HCU it concluded that there were serious irregularities and the organization did not have any liquidity. She ommited the fact that the commissioner of credit unions had found problems long before that and had failed to act.

However she insisted that it is "absolutely untrue" to give the impression to the HCU members "that the Government just sat back and did nothing."

The minister again defended government's bailout of CL Financial stating that the risk which a CL Financial collapse posed to the rest of the economy was a critical factor. She added that the state's intervention was to prevent the problem of CL Financial from spreading to other financial institutions.

She said such a development would have put the whole financial system at risk since CL Financial Group controlled over US$100 billion in assets and had financial interest in several banking, real estate, energy, general and life insurance, manufacturing, retail, distributive, media and medical services.

CLICO, she noted, controlled 52 per cent of the insurance industry, owned 55 per cent of the largest bank and 49 per cent of the total assets of the non-banking sector.

Bulleproof vests won't solve crime problem: Warner

Chaguanas MP Jack Warner is not impressed with a government plan to clad prisoners with bulletproof vests to prevent incidents such as the one in which a handcuffed prisoner was shot and killed while being escorted to the Rio Claro police station by two police officers.

The killing took place in front of several witnesses as the officer scampered into the neighbouring courthouse for safety. So far police have not made any arrests.

Read the story: Police run for cover as gunmen kill handcuffed prisoner

On Friday, acting Police Commissioner James Philbert talked about the possibly of giving additional security to prisoners. He also promised a new security plan to secure courthouses.

"We have considered that these prisoners will wear bullet proof vests depending on the nature of the threats", Philbert said.

In a news release Saturday Warner said while a specialized vest may stop a bullet it does not address the root problem "which is the reason why someone out there is in possession of a gun and ammunition, and...can come close enough to fire upon someone in police custody".

He asked, "How is it that the police cannot catch them before they escape?"

Warner stated that the breakdown of law and order stems from the inability of the police to efficiently and effectively do their jobs. "It is the cumulative result of the neglect of the protective service - particularly over the last 8 years," he said.

"Not only are police officers unable to properly do their jobs owing to the lack of basic resources - and modern resources - but the criminals know this and capitalize on this weakness," the MP said.

He suggested that with the current trend with "three escapes/attempted escapes in Chaguanas alone in the last month or two, this proposal may end up putting more bullet proof vests in the hands of criminals. A criminal who escapes is now in possession of a bullet proof vest to use in future crimes," he said.

Warner also commented on the commissioner's observation that the officers were at risk in the Rio Claro incident because they lacked weapons. He wondered if the police chief was not aware of the use of non-lethal weapons by law enforcement services in developed countries.

"Non-lethal weapons are an alternative to lethal weapons when it is necessary to use a weapon but not to kill or seriously injure the suspect, and would reduce the number of fatal police shootings," he said.

He noted that over the past 10 years numerous proposals for non-lethal weapons have been put to the Police Service and the Ministry of National Security, but the government has not introduced non-lethal weapons for police officers.

Deputy Speaker to rule on censuring Seetahal

Dana Seetahal's newspaper column criticising the behaviour of PNM MPs in Parliament and the Speaker of the House of Representatives for not reigning in the MPs could land her before the Privileges Committee for contempt of Parliament.

The Sunday Guardian column "PNM out of control" drew attention to the debate in the House of representatives in which PNM members attacked one another's character instead of dealing with the issue before the House, which was the Uff inquiry validation bill.

Seetahal also took issue with the Speaker who did not intervene to stop the "name-calling and bad-mouthing".

In piloting a motion against the Independent Senator, Information Minister Neil Parsanlal claimed that the column was an attack on Speaker Barendra Sinanan's character. He said reflections on the official conduct of the Speaker are direct attacks on the "very institution of the Parliament" itself.

"Mr Speaker, Ms Seetahal is a seasoned member of the other place and is probably more conversant than most with the rules governing the privileges and Members and of the Houses.

"And yet, within this very article, she liberally quotes the Standing Orders of the Parliament while publicly castigating the actions of the Chair in the performance of its function," he said.

Parsanlal said Commonwealth conventions show that any statement in the House reflecting on the Office of the Speaker, either directly or indirectly, is considered out of order and that in the United Kingdom such criticisms have attracted "the use of the penal powers" of the House of Commons.

"The Office of the Speaker is a highly regarded one, requiring the incumbent to exercise the patience of Job on other hand and the wisdom of Solomon on the other, to ensure the business of the House is conducted in a manner becoming the highest court in the land," he said.

Sinanan said since the matter involves him, he had no choice but to refer it to Deputy Speaker Pennelope Beckles to give a ruling.

Commentary: Sen. Dana Seetahal for Privileges Committee?

The Government of Trinidad and Tobago's motion to take independent Senator Dana Seetahal before the Privileges Committee of Parliament over a column she wrote in the Sunday Guardian a week ago entitled PNM out of control is an example of political paranoia.

In attempting to make a case Information Minister Neil Parsanlal suggested that Seetahal was totally out of line to comment on the Speaker's role and even made veiled threats of "penal measures".

The theme of the Senator's column was the acrimonious contributions in the House of Representatives during debate of the Validation Bill to legitimize the Uff inquiry into UDeCOTT and the construction sector, noting that it was a case of the PNM hanging its dirty linen in public and focusing on attacking on one another, instead of dealing with the business at hand.

According to standing orders an MP is not to be offensive or insulting in her/his contribution. And that is one of the key points she made in her column: that instead of focusing on the bill before the House, the PNM was on the warpath, badmouthing one another.

The case Seetahal was making was that the PNM was indeed out of control and that the performance of its members amounted to a breach of standing orders and Parliamentary protocol and a disservice to the nation.

"Not only did the PM ignore or avoid responding to relevant questions on the cost overruns and improper procurement processes by UDeCOTT, but in general the government treated the country with disdain in relegating concerns of citizens as opposition attempts to attack the government," Seetahal wrote.

"The debate on the Validation Bill devolved into name-calling and bad-mouthing, and the fact that this was allowed to happen must surely lie with the Speaker of the House, who is responsible for regulating the conduct of business in the House," she added.

The Senator quoted from Hansard to point that "standing order after standing order was breached, and no one was called to task."

Read the column: PNM out of control

Parsanlal's attempt to make a case against Seetahal is an adverse reaction to an over-sensitive regime that now sees malice in every statement that is critical of its action. This trigger-happy behaviour is a bad omen for democracy.

It is also a dangerous precedent since it is an infringement on free speech and freedom of the press, both of which are enshrined in the constitution of Trinidad and Tobago as basic rights.

As a columnist Seetahal has every right to present an opinion, which is what she did. She wrote with professionalism, making fair comments based on what transpired in the people's Parliament. While she was technically not protected by privilege, she needed no such protection since everything was factual.

Her comments about the Speaker are well in line regardless of what the PNM thinks.

It is time that the Manning administration digs its head out of the sand and faces reality that "something is rotten in Denmark".

The media, of which Seetahal identifies herself as a columnist, have a social and moral responsibility to comment on the affairs of state and to act as inspector general of the system on behalf of the people. To do otherwise would be a betrayal of a trust and a disservice to democracy.

If the PNM considers Seetahal's column offensive then it should put its house in order, not shoot the messenger.

Jai Parasram

CARICOM not planning to licence journalists: Carrington

The Secretary General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has denied reports that the regional grouping is planning to license journalists.

Edwin Carrington, was reacting to concerns by media associations across the region about such a plan announced at a broadcasters' workshop on the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) held in St Lucia two weeks ago.

Deputy Programme Manager for Services at the CARICOM Secretariat, Timothy Odle, said registering and licensing of journalists would become a reality within three to five years.

That prompted several media bodies in regional countries, and the umbrella Association of Caribbean Media Workers (ACM), to tell CARICOM that it would not accept any such move and would fight it. But in a media release Carrington said he knows of no plans to license journalists and that he had made that "absolutely clear" to ACM President Wesley Gibbings in a telephone conversation earlier this week.

"All discussions have been related to criteria for acceptance as a journalist to ensure that bona fide journalists were the beneficiaries of free movement. There has never been any discussion about licensing," the Secretary-General said.

"The media is a vital partner in the advancement of the regional integration process and their continued responsible reporting, analysis and commentary are valued in going forward," Carrington said.

The Secretary-General noted that journalists were among the first categories singled out by Heads of Government in the Grand Anse Declaration of 1989 to be allowed the facility of free movement.

Carrington did not give an explanation as to why Odle made such an announcement if there is no plan for such a move.

TCL under fire for not meeting demand

The Guyana government has accused Trinidad Cement Limited (TCL) of failing to meet the expectations of the Caribbean region at a time when demand is high.

Guyanese Cabinet Secretary Dr Roger Luncheon's assessment also raised questions about the quality of the company's product.

"Guyana and other CARICOM states contend that the ability of TCL, the regional supplier, to adequately and reliably service the needs of the region is inadequate. They cannot meet the region's demand," he said, noting that demand for cement in the region is at an all time high.

Dr Luncheon told reporters since government reinstated the Common External Tariff (CET) on cement from non-CARICOM states more and more reports have been surfacing about TCL's inability to meet its contractual and other obligations currently on the domestic scene.

He added that questions have also been raised about the technical standards of the cement company's product.

Two weeks after the Guyana government said it would abide by an order by the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) to reimpose the CET on cement imported from outside the region, even though it would have negative economic implications for the country.

The court ruled on August 20 that Guyana was in breach of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas by failing to apply the CET on cement from extra regional sources and gave Guyana 28 days to re-establish it.

TCL filed a complaint before the court when the dealing passed with Guyana making the change. The Guyana government restored the CET after the court turned down its appeal for more time before to start charging the tax.

Today's PHOTO of the day: Creative Trini

Our photo of the day sent in by journalist-turned politician Sunil Ramjitsingh shows Trini creativity.

A vagrant made life more comfortable by hanging a hammock between two street signs. It's a better that the concrete pavement at the corner of Treasury and Edward Streets in Port of Spain and it's high enough to escape the constant downtown flooding.

Swine Flu overwhelms San Fernando hospital

The San Fernando General Hospital is becoming the main treatment centre for the H1N1 virus in Trinidad and Tobago. The first four victims died at the hospital and a flood of new suspected cases is putting health care staff there under extra strain.

News reports say at least three new patients have tested positive and are being treated in the hospital's Intensive Care Unity (ICU). A fourth patient is still under investigation.

The patients on the critical list include two female patients, a two-year-old child and a police officer, who is reported to be on a ventilator to facilitate breathing.

The demand for attention at the hospital is causing concerns. The Trinidad Express reported Friday that dozens of patients with flu-like symptoms chose to leave without seeing health personnel.

The hospital is putting people who are suspected of having the virus in an isolation tent on the hospital grounds where they have to wait until a doctor is available to see them. The wait can be several hours, pateints reported.

The ministry of health is not giving regular updates. It's last official figure shows that 163 flu victims have been confirmed with four deaths. And Health Minister Jerry Narace says it's not going to get better immediately.

"Sadly, based on global and local epidemiological trends, we do expect more cases and more deaths, but we are doing everything in our power to prevent further fatalities," Narace said earlier this week.

In an interview with the Express Thursday he suggested that people need to take precautions for their own safety.

"At the end of the day, it comes down to our personal hygiene, our respiratory etiquette and understanding the information we are required to understand," he said.

$650,000 to prepare for Twenty 20 in India: Hunt

Sports Minister Gary Hunt told reporters Thursday the Government of Trinidad and Tobago allocated $650,000 to prepare the national cricket team for the recent Airtel Champions League Twenty 20 tournament in India.

But a report in the NEWSDAY newspaper Friday attributed to the TT Cricket Board CEO Forbes Persaud said the board has not received any money so far.

Hunt boasted that the Government would continue to "put its money where its mouth is, without fanfare, to create the foundation for sports glory on a sustained basis."

He told reporters in addition to the $650,000 his ministry has provided over $14.4 million to the cricket board for development program. And he said there was more.

"In addition, the Trinidad and Tobago Tourism Development Company (TIDCO) also contributed $100,000 to the team’s efforts," he said adding that "The Government did all that was asked by the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board of Control."

He also clared up what he said was "a public misconception" over the funding of the airfare and accommodation for the TT cricket team to go to India. He said the tournament organizers paid for that.

Persaud disputed the minister statements. He told NEWSDAY the $650,000 the minister talked about was not specifically given for the Twenty 20 tournament.

“We have received no money specifically for the Airtel Champions League but we have been given money at the start of the year for developmental program and team preparation,” the paper quoted Persaud as saying.

The paper said Persaud explained that team preparation costs over $500,000 since the team competes in several tournaments every year.

It also said Persaud confirmed that TIDCO made a pledge of $100,000 for the national team for the India tournament but has not provided any funds so far.

“TIDCO wrote to us and said that they would give us $100,000. We have not received the money as yet, but we have that commitment in black and white,” said Persaud.

Hunt was full of praise for the national team which he said exemplifies “all that is good and noble about the people of Trinidad and Tobago. It is a vibrant, disciplined and diverse unit, that is brimming with self confidence.”

But he did not talk about the controversy over the return of the team, which placed second in the tournament.

The controversy started even before bthne team left. Chaguanas West MP Jack Warner had to intervene to get captain Darren Ganga to be granted leave from the state-owned Petrotrin. The energy company had refused Ganga's application for leave. When Warner made it a national issue Energy Minister Conrad Enill instructed the company to let Ganga go to India.

On the team's return home Hunt said there would be no reception for them because they did not win. That incensed Warner who said it demonstrated the government's disdain for sports in general.

Read the story: Warner slams "incompetent" sports minister

Jamaica protecting crime boss with connections to ruling party: Report

A report by the Associated Press (AP) news agency says Jamaica is resisting a U.S. request to hand over a suspected crime boss with ties to the country's governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP).

And it says there are reports that the man is stockpiling weapons in his Kingston stronghold to prevent arrest.

AP said the United States made a request to the government in August for the extradition of Christopher "Dudus" Coke but so far Jamaica has only responded with requests for more information about the gun and drug trafficking charges against the man.

The U.S. Justice Department has identified Coke as one of the world's most dangerous drug kingpins. It alleges that the gang leader controls a band of gunmen inside Tivoli Gardens, a barricaded neighborhood of Kingston, which has one of the highest homicide rates in the Western Hemisphere.

Patricia Attkisson, spokeswoman for the U.S. Embassy in Kingston told AP on Thursday, "The U.S. government is looking forward to the Jamaican government respecting their obligations under the treaty."

The opposition People's National Party (PNP) has criticized the government for not moving faster to deal with the issue.

"The cascading effect of international reaction to the administration's inaction could lead ultimately to Jamaica being labeled and declared a 'rogue state,' with lasting adverse implications for our people," opposition MP Peter Bunting told AP.

The agency said it did not get a response from the government.

AP quoted Coke's lawyer, Tom Tavares-Finson, as saying that his client has not been in touch with the government and is not privy to the details of any discussions between the U.S. and Jamaica.

"We're waiting to hear what the decision is," said Tavares-Finson, who has dismissed the U.S. charges as "hype."

AP said the alleged leader of the "Shower Posse" gang, is charged in the U.S. Southern District of New York with conspiracy to distribute cocaine and marijuana and conspiracy to illegally traffic in firearms. It said he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted.

AP said authorities in Jamaica fear that if Coke is arrested there could be an islandwide explosion of violence since the country has been stratified along political lines since the violent 1980 general election that saw armed gangs affiliated with each of the two main parties.

Horace Levy, who works to reduce community violence through the government-launched Peace Management Initiative told AP, "The information I have, which is good information, is that he is preparing to defend himself," and is even equipped with gas masks, Levy said.

"There is a serious intent...not to hand himself in and defend himself," he said.

$2M national flag? It's worth it!

Last month Sports Minister Gary Hunt unfurled a huge Trinidad and Tobago national flag at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port-of-Spain. He didn't say what it cost and it seems nobody cared to ask at the time.

But now reports are emerging that the cost was TT$2 million. And on Thursday at the weekly post-cabinet news conference reporters wanted to know if that is the true cost and whether such expenditure is justifiable.

Hunt apparently didn't know the cost, but he assured reporters that whatever the cost it is worth it, noting that if it did cost the reported $2 million it would be “nothing out of the ordinary.”

The flag, he explained, is intended to be seen from far and wide as a symbol of “its noble message" and to cultivate a "deep sense of national pride.”

So why did the 130-foot flag cost that much?

"It takes a considerable amount of engineering to plant a structure that high and of that weight,” he explained.

“There is a lot of work that had to be done on the foundation level. I am not exactly sure if that figure ($2 million) is exactly correct but if it that is the cost it is what the flag does for the citizenry of Trinidad and Tobago as we pass there. There is no price on national pride,” the minister said.

Hunt expressed pride in the project, which he said is "a symbol of our country for all to see.”

But he still could not give the price, so reporters asked him if, based on the rationale, it would also be justifiable if the cost was higher.

What about $10 million?

“You are taking the question to another realm,” was his response. “What I said is if it costs that amount ($2 million), the Government of T&T is happy and proud to create a symbol of national pride, which our flag should imbue in all citizens,” the Trinidad Guardian reported him as saying.

Reporters left St Ann's without knowing the cost, and the minister didn't promise to check with his officials and provide the answer to the million dollar question.

NJAC warns of people's uprising similar to 1970

The man who was a principal leader in the 1970 Black power uprising in Trinidad and Tobago is warning of another similar event.

Makandal Daaga, leader of the National Joint Action Committee (NJAC), told a public meeting earlier this week conditions today are similar to what existed 39 years ago and the conditions are right for another people's revolt against the system.

When he led the nationwide demonstrations in 1970 Daaga was known as Geddes Granger.

He was born in a poor, dispossessed neighbourhood in Laventille but was able to get a better education than most in his community.

But on Independence in 1962 he started to become disenchanted because he saw that little hand changed for the majority. In an independent Trinidad and Tobago Granger (Daaga) felt the oppressed remained oppressed and the social barriers that had stratified the society under British rule remained the same.

That created the passion that fueled the anti-government demonstrations against the "black" government of Dr Eric Williams and the dramatic social changes that followed.

The street demonstrations, looting and property destruction in 1970 led to the declaration of a state of emergency and the arrest of Daaga and dozens of others who were jailed at an offshore prison on Nelson Island.

Now the NJAC leader is sounding the alarm again, saying that a similar people's uprising is inevitable unless the Manning government takes action to deal with the UDeCOTT scandal.

"The problem here is your history. You have shown that you are capable of taking insult after insult, and outside of 1970 you would not revolt," he said.

He wondered whether people are really going to continue to remain complacent or whether they would stop "this once and for all."

Daaga criticized Prime Minister Patrick Manning for saying that those opposed to UDeCOTT and Calder Hart are part of a tyrannical mob.

"It is the total disrespect that Hart and the Cabinet has shown for the people of this country...there is nothing more heart-rending than when Manning stands up and tells this nation that it is a tyrannical mob that is against Hart in this country," Daaga said.

"Anytime the people of this country move, PNM or no PNM, UDeCOTT or no UDeCOTT, will have to bow under the feet of the people...so we are a tyrannical mob, then let's act as one and rip the blasted thing apart," he declared.

Daaga also spoke about the country's rising crime problem and reminded his audience that he warned of this danger as far back as 1982.

"The big problem is they're killing the wrong people, but nothing lasts forever," he said adding that "the time is going to come...when those guns are going to be trained on those who are bringing about the suffering in this land by those very same young men."

Police kill three kidnappers, rescue victim

Police in Trinidad and Tobago mounted a large scale operation Wednesday for a kidnapped businessman, killing three abductors during a shootout and rescuing the victim, Imran Mohammed-Khan, who was unhurt.

The operation involved an air and ground search for the man who was kidnapped from his home early in the morning in full view of several witnesses.

According to media reports the man's brother witnessed the abduction and followed the perpetrators while he called police. The reports say Khan's brother kept the getaway vehicle in view while he communicated with police through a cell phone.

Officers from the Criminal Intelligence Unit, Anti-Kidnapping Unit, Crime Suppression Unit, Special Anti-Crime Unit and Central Division Task Force officers responded and moved in on the kidnappers, eventually catching up with them at an abandoned shack in central Trinidad.

In the shootout that followed, police killed three men. They have not yet identified them. Police said they recovered a .357 magnum with six rounds of ammunition and a home-made shotgun with three live cartridges and a spent shell.

TT $5.3M for private jets for Manning

The government of Trinidad and Tobago has racked up a hefty miulti-million dollar travel bill since 2007 for its top officials with the bulk of it going to pay for private jets for Prime Minister Patrick Manning.

Finance Minister Karen Nunez-Tesheira made the disclosure in a written statement to Parliament, which showed that between January 2007 and March 31, 2009, Manning made 32 overseas trips of which 18 were on leased private jets.

Those trips alone cost approximately $4.1 million and the cost of his travels on commercial airlines was $1.2 million.

The most expensive trip was a shuttle visit to several Caribbean Community countries to hold discussions on his plan for political integration with Grenada, St Lucia and St Vincent and the Grenadines in August 2008.

That trip alone cost $792,593.24. Another expensive private jet travel was in preparation for the Fifth Summit of the Americas, which cost $754,859.57 for the private jet.

Ssome other travel costs:

• Lenny Saith to Qatar ($128,000), India ($129,000), Singapore $178,000), Dubai ($121,000)
• Conrad Enill to Uganda ($173,000), London ($165,000) and Spain ($135,000)
• Tina Gronlund-Nunez to Nairobi ($118,000)
• Alicia Hospedales to New Zealand ($112,000)
• Joseph Ross to Germany ($115,000) and Malaysia ($102,000)
• Kenneth Valley to India and Korea ($175,000)
• Gary Hunt to Sri Lanka ($106,000)

Dookeran slams gov't; talks of Panday-Manning alliance

Winston Dookeran delivered a powerful speech Tuesday night at a Congress of the People (COP) public meeting at Asja Boy's School in San Fernando in which he delivered a broadside against UNC leader Basdeo Panday and drew a political connection between Panday and Prime Minister Patrick Manning.

The COP leader referred to Panday's comments a few days ago about COP not having any seats in Parliament and used it as an opportunity to present COP as the political vehicle to speak not for a single constituency but for all of Trinidad and Tobago.

And he also offered a report card on the Manning administration's performance since it was returned to office in 2007. Dookeran also gave a political lesson on governance and the role of a prime minister, who he said must:

• preside over the development of the country
• preside over steps that will improve the quality of life for the people
• preside over the provision of basic amenities so that the people would have a decent life
• preside over creating a civilization that is better than the one that existed before taking office.

He said on all scores Manning has failed and instead of getting a better, more progressive society, Manning has given the nation a criminal industry "that is larger in its growth than the whole economy".

Dookeran said, "Today we know we cannot walk the street with any sense of comfort...So this Prime Minister has presided over the escalation of criminality in this land and the breakdown of law and order in this society and you know what makes it worst, he is happy about it."

The former planning minister offered a glimpse of what he would offer the nation as prime minister:

• create a better society to make sure that the underprivileged have a better deal
• start to end the cycle of poverty
• a program of action to increase the empowerment opportunities for the young
• opportunities for large and small businesses
  

Dookeran accused the Manning government of stealing people's pensions while allocating more and more money for so-called poverty reduction programs.

"They are using the money in the name of poverty in order to create clients of the state and vote banks for all times," he said.

The former Central Bank Governor pointed to World Bank statistics that show Trinidad and Tobago at number 81 in business competitiveness among 183 countries and at the bottom - number 183 - when it comes to enforcing contracts.

Dookeran said contrary to what the government preaches its policies are creating under development, not taking the country forward.

The COP leader saved a portion of his speech for dealing with Manning's attacks on his former cabinet minister Keith Rowley in Parliament last week and suggested that there is more to what Manning stated than just an attempt to knock down his opponent.

"As he described Mr. Rowley as a raging bull, he said that he was part of a new relationship between the Ramjack fraction and himself to bring down the UNC and PNM.

"Probably it went unnoticed, but here was the prime Minister defending the UNC and the PNM from the threats from the Ramjack Rowley fraction. What is happening is he is defending the UNC and the PNM," Dookeran said.

He said Manning and Panday are "gatekeepers" of two traditional political groupings. "One of them holds the view that their main support, which is mainly afro-Trinidadians, will always vote for them regardless because they have the power of the treasury in their hands and that is what they hold on to.

"And the other gate keeper who believes, not that the Indians support him but that the Indians owe it to him to support him, that he must get their votes because they are now the victims of what the government does," he said.

He said anyone who pays close attention to Manning would hear him defending "the PNM and UNC against the attack of RamJack and Rowley."

He suggested that Manning betrayed himself and the secret is out that he wants to prop up the UNC because "the presence of the UNC is important for the retaining of power by the PNM."

He continued the connection by referring to Panday's support for an executive president. "He used some words about conditions under which he will support it, which we know can always change - but there were some coded messages that were passing through Parliament and Rienzi.

"In parliament the Prime Minister was saying that I will defend you in the UNC and I will defend the PNM; we shall not fall - meaning the UNC and the PNM.

"And Mr. Panday returns the favour and says thank you very much, I will now support the executive presidency in Trinidad and Tobago," he said, calling the charade high level diplomacy.

"Their interest now is the preservation of their gate keepers’ position. So they are saying, you give me this and I will give you that and we will stay together," he said.

Dookeran said Trinidad and Tobago is a a dynamic country and the arrival of COP on the political landscape increased that dynamism, moving it to a higher level.

He said, "The gate keepers cannot hold back their flocks - whatever flocks they feel they have - because there is now a new political organization that is expansive, open and flexible that is bringing all the flocks together under the COP for a new Trinidad and Tobago."

He dismissed as a "myth" suggestions that COP cannot win the support of the grassroots supporters. He said COP has been meeting the people, helping them through clinics and other outreach programs, demonstrating that "we want to bring people together, not divided by race, not divided by geography, not divided by anything else."

He predicted that COP will bring about a renaissance in the politics of Trinidad and Tobago.

Panday will have dinner with the Queen

The opposition United National Congress (UNC) has complained bitterly about the cost of hosting the Commonwealth heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Port of Spain next month.

Some of them have even suggested that commonwealth members should help pay the bill.

However, opposition Leader Basdeo Panday has accepted an invitation to a banquet with Queen Elizabeth hosted by President Max Richards.

Panday told the Trinidad Guardian he'll attend the dinner but he is not sure about whether the opposition would be involved with other events. He said UNC members won't have opportunities to meet CHOGM participants, since the opposition is not included in the main events of the conference.

Justice ministry is threat to Judiciary: Prof. Ryan

Respected Trinidad and Tobago political scientist Dr Selwyn Ryan is convinced that the proposed Ministry of Justice in the country's draft constitution will be a threat to the independence of the Judiciary.

And he said such a ministry would inevitably lead to conflict between the Executive and the Judiciary.

Ryan made the statements to the Trinidad Express in reference to comments about Prime Minister Patrick Manning, who insists that a justice ministry would improve the administration of justice and not be a threat to judicial independence.

Ryan is one of the people who had been working on a draft constitution but became very uncomfortable with what was happening, especially when Manning announced at a political gathering details of a draft constitution.

He has since left the round table as has the country's foremost constitution expert, former president, Sir Ellis Clarke.

Both men reacted with shock when Manning announced the details of a proposed constitution at a congress of his ruling People's National Movement (PNM).

Read the story: Manning unveils constitutional reform plan...
Read the story:Strong reaction to constitution reform; Sir Ellis disowns it, Ryan "shocked"

Since the initial announcement, the draft has gone through several changes and the round table is now headed by political scientist Dr Hamid Ghany.

Sources say there is no consensus within the PNM on the constitution because some key members are uncomfortable with some of its provisions, including the justice ministry and the powers of an executive president.

They say this is why Manning has embarked on an "education tour" to try to sell the constitution to the public. However, he has restricted his meetings to friendly PNM gatherings.

In Tobago last week Manning told supporters there will be no final decision no final decision on the justice ministry until his administration holds consultations with the Judiciary. However he has sent clear signals that he does not intend to discard the idea.

"Once you set up a Ministry of Justice, you create incentives for the person who is in charge of that ministry to extend his power and influence. There will always be conflict no mater how you structure it," Manning said.

Manning insisted that "there are some aspects of the administration of the judiciary that are best handled by the executive" that do not "encroach on judicial independence", such as "the architecture of the judiciary, the types of courts you have and so on".

But Ryan disagrees. "I don't think I want the Chief Justice or judges involved in the procurement of buildings. There are certain things that should be done by the executive and there are certain things that are and only should be done by the Judiciary and it is where to draw the line," he told the Express.

He said he would prefer to have the Executive, through the Ministry of the Attorney General, provide funding for the Judiciary and dealing with matters such as the building of courts, while leaving the day to day management of the courts up to the Chief Justice, the judges and the magistrates.

Ryan also said based on how the present constitution is structured Manning can appoint a Justice Minister without amending the constitution. He said that "on the face" and in the absence of any detailed research, he thinks Manning can designate whatever ministry he wants "and the constitution does not limit him."

Rights group concerned about closure of Grenada paper

The Paris-based newspaper watchdog group Reporters Without Borders (RWB) on Wednesday appealed to the Grenada government to introduce legislation to limit the amount of money that persons can claim for damages from the media.

It was in response to a Grenada High Court decision to put the the Grenada Today newspaper into liquidation in order to pay a libel award of US$71,135 to former prime minister Dr. Keith Mitchell.

"Grenada Today's liquidation is bad news for media diversity and, above all, a very bad precedent for the resolution of disputes linked to press offences," RWB said in a media release.

“Regardless of the substance of the case, it highlights the disproportionate nature of damages awards that threaten the survival of the publication concerned.

"We call for a legislative amendment that limits the amount of damages that a plaintiff can demand. And we hope that, although there are no further possibilities of appeal, that Grenada Today can nonetheless still be saved by a last-minute deal," RWB said.

The paper’s editor, George Worme is considering various options, including the launch of a new newspaper.

“Since the events have unfolded, I have been approached by several different people who are interested in forming a new newspaper and they have approached me to be associated with them. I am giving consideration to my options,” Worme told reporters.

Justice Claire Henry Tuesday appointed former accountant general Garvey Louison as the liquidator after Worme’s lawyer told the court that his client failed to reach an agreement to settle the award with Mitchell.

Mitchell sued the newspaper over the publication of a letter from a reader in 2001 that contained disparaging remarks about him.

The High Court awarded compensation of US$44,692 in 2003, but the matter was appealed and the Court of Appeal increased the judgement.

RWB said that the lawsuit against Grenada Today, one of five weekly newspapers on the island, “is is very similar to the kind of lawsuit specifically designed to intimidate and silence critics that is referred to in English-speaking countries as a Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation or SLAPP.

“It usually takes the form of a defamation action carried out with the aim of forcing the target, a news media or NGO, to either fold or retract because mounting legal costs or the threat of a ruinous damages award.

“Reporters Without Borders supports the principle of anti-SLAPP legislation,” the Paris-based media watchdog group said.

A thought for today: Abraham Lincoln

UK pulls out of police training project in Guyana

Britain announced on Wednesday that it is withdrawing an aid package to Guyana's police force, citing disputes over a planned reform of the department and
special-forces.

British officials said they pulled out of the US$6.5 million project because of concerns over financial accountability. They said the dispute began when Guyana resisted a British request for its own consultant to administer the aid money.

But Guyana disputes that. The government said Wednesday the decision is revenge for its the country's refusal to allow British troops to engage in live-firing exercises near its western border with Venezuela.

"The position of the government of Guyana is that indeed the decision is regrettable," the government statement said.

Earlier in the year the government denied a request to allow British troops to train in Guyana.

In a statement, Britain said it had "fully accepted" Guyana's decision not to allow live firing and acknowledged that the two sought different goals. "This decision was not taken lightly," the statement said.

It added, "The funding has been reallocated to other pressing needs within the Caribbean."

Guyana frequently allows British and French troops to conduct training in its Amazon jungle, but government spokesman Kwame McKoy said the request to use live ammunition raised sovereignty issues.

The aid program, which was supposed to last four years, has been scuttled two years into the effort to reform Guyana's police.

It was providing modern forensic equipment and training to improve intelligence gathering and financial management for a force that had only a limited number of computers.

No room in UNC for con men, money launderers and convicted felons: Warner

Jack Warner said Wednesday he agrees with the leader of the United National Congress (UNC) that the party must not become "a haven for international con-men or an avenue for money laundering."

Basdeo Panday made the statement Sunday when he addressed the national congress of the UNC at the Rienzi Complex in couva, Central Trinidad.

"That's not the UNC of which I want to play a leading role. It must not even be a shelter for convicted felons. For that's not the UNC that will gain the public's respect and support either," the UNC deputy leader said.

"My mission has always been and continues to be to make the UNC a party fit for the future, and fit to lead a country united in our desire to make lives better for our people," he added.

Warner also commented on the call by one delegate for Panday to step aside immediately and let Siparia MP Kamla Persad-Bissessar become interim leader until internal elections are held next year.

Read the story: Kamla can be credible UNC leader: Dookeran

Persad-Bissessar is one of three deputy leaders of the UNC.

Warner said, "I agree with the need for a leadership election. And once Kamla makes her intentions known, it will become a matter for her and the party's true membership, of which I am but one."

He added, "I have said before that the post of leader is not an office I seek, and thus I will be merely an interested observer and participant as an elector."

Panday supports PR, executive president elected by people

Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday is in full support of an executive president for Trinidad and Tobago. But he wants that person to be elected by the people in a national election where every vote counts.

That proposal is consistent with what he has always said but differs from the one that the constitutional drafts have outlined. So far the model proposed is to have a president elected similar to the United States with an electoral college based on the number of votes from different region.

"The president must be elected by the rank and file of the people on the basis of one man, one vote," Panday said as he addressed a meeting of the United National Congress (UNC) in Aranjuez.

Panday also made a strong appeal for a change from the first-past-the-post system to one of proportional representation (PR) and for the abolition of the senate. He said a new Parliament should have a single chamber of between 90 and 100 elected members to have better representation of the people.

He said PR is a better system since it allocates seats on the basis of votes cast. In the 2007 general election, for example, PR would have given the two opposition parties more seats in the House of Representative since they polled more votes than the People's National Movement (PNM).

The system would have given the Congress of the People a voice in Parliament. Panday noted that in that election the COP won 148,000 votes "but they ain't get ah seat...That is wrong. Under proportional representation, they would have had members in Parliament," Panday said.

In the 2001 general election, which led to a tie and the appointment of Patrick Manning as prime minister, the UNC would have been returned to power since the party had the higher popular vote although both the PNM and UNC won 18 seats.

Panday said PR is a fairer system and offers greater transparency because it would ensure that the executive president has no majority in the Parliament since each party will get seats depending on the number of votes it wins.

PR has always been rejected by the PNM. It first came up during the Wooding Constitution Commission but the idea was rejected outright by the then prime minister, Dr Eric Williams.

Manning has also rejected the idea, saying it is not good for the country since it presents the danger of splitting the country along along racial, religious and other lines.

He has asked his party to reject it because the idea is coming from "some people in Trinidad and Tobago" who are pushing the idea "have a sinister intent".

Speaking in Tobago last week, Manning said: "I urge you, my dear friends, when they come to you with that, you must reject it."

Read the commentary on PR: Democracy in Portions? - by Ajay Parasram

Democracy in Portions? - Analysis by Ajay Parasram

(Originally published on Feb.11, 2008)

The Congress of the People (COP) won nearly 150,000 votes and 23 per cent of the popular vote in the Nov. 5 general election, yet none of its members sits in the national Parliament.

On the other hand the United National Congress Alliance (UNC-A), with just over 50,000 more votes, captured 15 seats. And the People’s National Movement (PNM) with double the COP votes won a clear majority of 26 seats.

What’s wrong with this picture?

Logically, if 300,000 votes give you 26 seats, half of that should give you 13 seats. Right? Wrong!

And what about the other 199,000 votes? The math is messed up just like the logic. So let’s get back to the question: what is wrong with this picture?

The party with the minority support wins the majority. It feels wrong, sounds wrong and looks like the tyranny of the minority. Damn, it is wrong and undemocratic too!

But in reality there is nothing wrong; the constitution and the law allow it. And people have become slaves to a system that usurps their right to be heard.

Such a feat is possible under Trinidad and Tobago’s archaic, colonial structure of governance: First Past The Post (FPTP), which is a servant to the status quo. FPTP was designed to be a cheap and easy way to elect MPs and was introduced at a time when people could believe that their MPs were fulfilling their theoretical goal of representation.

FPTP is based on the premise that free people from across the country would elect a representative among themselves to speak on behalf of their entire constituency. These free minds would then assemble in the national legislature (the House of Representatives or lower House), and from their debates, negotiations, and politics, some would come together to form ‘parties’ of like-minded people.

From these organic parties, would emerge spokespeople and the individual who controlled the loyalty of the House of Representatives (i.e., controls the party or parties which hold the majority of seats) becomes the Prime Minister, and appoints a cabinet.

But is this really how it works in Trinidad and Tobago, or anywhere in the world? In Canada, for example, the current Conservative government’s political base is in the western province of Alberta. Although 25 per cent of Albertan voters marked an X for the Liberal Party of Canada, the Conservative Party holds all 28 seats in the province; the Liberals, zero.

Sound familiar? The similarity in Canada’s and Trinidad and Tobago’s politics is only in the sense that they share the same dated loyalty to the British Westminster model of electoral politics.

So let’s get back to Port of Spain. In a country with the demographics of Trinidad &Tobago, it is easy to politicize race and though many have resisted this temptation, every political observer knows that the country’s elections are essentially a mad dash for a few marginal seats.

This might lead one to the conclusion that within those constituencies that are deemed ‘pre-determined,’ there is no dissent.

The FPTP system leaves no room for dissent; it’s based on winner take all and losers go home. Even the Prime Minister of Trinidad &Tobago barely received the majority of votes in his own constituency, although he has been the representative for San Fernando East since 1971.

The opposition parties took 45 per cent of the popular vote in San Fernando East. That means out of every 100 voters, 45 said they didn’t want Patrick Manning to represent them. By extension they said they didn’t want a PNM government.

But in our FPTP system they have no choice; they have got Manning and the PNM and they can’t do anything about it. What chances do they have of having their views, beliefs, or interests represented?

Go over most of the other 41 constituencies and the picture is almost the same. The one indisputable fact about the Nov. 5 general election is this: a majority of the voters rejected the People’s National Movement, its leader and the party’s policies.

Yet with a minority vote, Manning governs with no moral or constitutional obligation to consult the "dissenters" or anyone. He has a majority and can do as he pleases.

And what of the 55 per cent of the electorate who voted against the governing party? They can wait for five years, then on an appointed day, repeat the whole exercise. Under the FTTP system, the majority may yet again be denied representation.

Of course, FPTP is predicated on the belief that stability and predictability are more important than democracy and representation.

The 45 per cent of San Fernando East that rejected the Prime Minister and his party are now forced to believe that he will represent them, as he has promised to. The problem with this system is that the power is centralized in the MPs (more specifically, the party leaders and executives), and NOT in the constituents that they claim to represent.

If the goal of FPTP is to elect free thinkers to come to the House of Representatives and forge alliances to represent the best interests of their constituents and their nation, why do we even have parties to co-opt their minds and ambitions?

Trinidad &Tobago is not a country devoid of dissent; it is a country that lacks the ability to make a choice because of its archaic, colonial-esq system of electoral politics, which was designed to install inflated majorities.

Today, the MPs who speak for constituencies almost never get a majority mandate, and they are forced to balance their consciousness with their party loyalty and career ambition.

The theoretical ‘free thinkers’ of old have thus become under-representative of the people they claim to give voice to.

One need only look at the figures in nearly every constituency in the 2007 elections to see that most sitting MPs do not command the majority of support within their constituencies.

Under a different system of electoral politics, the composition of the house would look quite different. And that’s where we should be looking – the "dreaded" system of Proportional Representation that the nation’s first Prime Minister, Dr Eric Williams, dropped like a hot potato before anyone could even read its merits or relevance, as stated in the Wooding Commission report on constitution reform.

The system can be complex and convoluted, but it can also be simple and representative, depending on how you look at it and what model you adopt.

Canada, for example, may not be a good place for a system of PR because of its massive size and regionalised polities.

On the other hand, Trinidad &Tobago fits the bill rather well. It is a small country with a small population. It is full of dissenting voices struggling to be heard and systemically being undermined by an electoral system and centralization of power that is designed to prevent today’s minority from ever becoming tomorrow’s majority.

All the sitting government needs to do is ensure there is more than one opposition party contesting the election and they can nearly guarantee a victory. Trinidad’s political history speaks to this. Under Dr Eric Williams the PNM remained the party of stability while opposition parties, with a few exceptions, were mostly stillborn.

The respected Trinidad and Tobago political scientist Dr Selwyn Ryan describes it well:

"Caribbean islands are littered with the carcasses of political parties which have materialized and then faded into oblivion without leaving much by way of a footprint on the landscape, however much they might have influenced the political narratives that other parties have appropriated."

The politics of opposition in Trinidad &Tobago has been greatly constrained by the FPTP system that refuses to acknowledge dissent and respects only the will of the "winner," even when the vast majority of the people in one constituency reject that person.

That’s why the nation should adopt as its New Year’s resolution a determined effort to change the political status quo by demanding constitutional reform based on some form of Proportional Representation so that the voice of the people would be heard in the hallowed chamber of the national Parliament, and hopefully effect change for the benefit of everyone, not just those who are beneficiaries of party favours from the governing establishment.

During the Nov. 5 election campaign Basdeo Panday outlined what could best the described as a teaser on the subject. His idea is for an Executive President elected by universal adult franchise using the FPTP system, providing the winner captures more than 50 per cent of the popular vote.

That leader would preside over a People’s Congress elected by proportional representation. Such a system would allow the greatest national representation in the legislature from where members would be chosen to sit in cabinet, on committees and other bodies to conduct the nation’s business on behalf of all the people.

Such reforms are always difficult, because it essentially requires the governing parties to advocate a system that will almost always weaken their results in the polls.

If we take the 2007 election result as an example of what PR might have achieved we would find the PNM still holding the largest block of seats, but with fewer seats.

Under a simple system of PR where percentage of votes equals number of seats, the UNC-A would have 12 seats, the COP 9, and the PNM 18. Since no other party won at least 2 per cent of the popular vote, the system described above would have only 39 seats and the system would have to adopt a measure to determine how to allocate the two other seats based on the surplus votes.

Suddenly the Manning majority would have disappeared and the system would have given a voice to the 148,000 COP voters who have none in the Parliament as currently constituted. (Surely it is a better system if it doesn’t shut out the opinion of 148,000 citizens.)

The political structure would have been radically different. Manning would have to govern through consensus. Or the opposition could have formed a coalition and unseated the government.

But the radical difference would be quite interesting. Under a PR List system, each party contesting elections would provide a list of candidates, organized in descending importance. The percentage of the popular vote they receive would determine how far down the list they go; that is to say, if they receive 30 per cent and 30 per cent = 12 seats, then the top 12 people on their list become MPs.

The electorate would have an opportunity to peruse the list, which would be made public before the vote.

This is but one of many ways a state might organize its electoral system in accordance with Proportional Representation.

Another system - the single transferable vote model – allows the constituency system to remain. The ballot paper would allow the voter choices, based on preference for parties. For example, a person might vote Democratic Action Congress (DAC) as number 1; COP as 2; UNC-A as 3; and PNM as 4.

The purpose of this system is to ensure that whoever wins the riding will have the majority of support of the voters.

So when it becomes clear that DAC will not win, the ballot above would be moved from DAC to COP. If it became clear that it would be a race between the UNC and the PNM, then the ballot would move from the COP to the UNC-A.

Instead of casting one ballot that is thrown away, voters under this system could vote for the party of their choice without having to gamble on the fact that their vote is wasted. Such a vote gives the individual control, turning the system upside down.

The common criticism of PR is that it is divisive and makes government slow to effect change. This view of PR is quite unfair, as small countries tend to excel under systems of PR; many – particularly in Western Europe and Scandinavia – enjoy some of the highest living standards in the world.

Making space for dissent is not divisive. Blocking people from the House of Representatives who have mandates by the electorate is divisive. Indeed, it seems tyrannical.

The people spoke in 2007 as they have done in every election since the 1920s. Why is the government so unwilling to lend an ear to the people they claim to represent?

Let 2008 be the year for change. Make it your new year’s resolution. You might be pleasantly surprised at the power you hold!

AJAY PARASRAM, M.A. Political Science

TT President won't face impeachment panel

The Speaker of the House of Representatives has written to the United National Congress (UNC) advising the party that President Max Richards will not have to face an impeachment panel for what the UNC called "a wilful disregard" of the Constitution, with regard to the appointment of members of the Integrity Commission.

The appointment of Fr Henry Charles and Jeffrey McFarlane to the Integrity Commission had to be nullified because of a breach of the Integrity in Public Life Act.

Charles resigned after reports surfaced that he plagiarised certain works. Mc Farlane quit because he was not qualified to serve in that role because he held several public service appointments.

In a motion filed by opposition chief Whip Dr Hamza Rafeeq the UNC raised three instances when the actions of the president suggested he was unsuitable for office:

• the alleged breach of promise by the president to retired appeal court judge Zainool Hosein to appoint him as deupty chairman of the commission
• the appointment of McFarlane
• the appointment of Charles knowing that he knew or was informed of his plagiarism.

The motion stated the president made the appointments in "wilful and/or reckless disregard and/or neglect and/or contempt for the Constitution and the law, made these appointments."

Read the story:UNC moves to impeach president

In his letter to the UNC Sinanan said the motion calling for a tribunal to be set up, with a view to removing Richards, does not contain "full particulars as is required" and does not satisfy Section 36 (1) (b) of the Constitution."

He explained the motion is otherwise defective because it contains a ground that is not authorised by the secition which deals with the grounds for removal of the president from office. He added that the motion does not properly state whether the charges against Richards are confusing.

Sinanan suggested that the motion may be refiled if defects are fixed. "No further action can be taken in this matter until the defects in the motion are rectified by the 14 members who have proposed it", the letter stated.

Sinanan said his opinion is based on legal advice he obtained with regard to the relevant sections of the Constitution. But Rafeeq said the motion was drafted by 10 attorneys, including three state counsels.