CHOGM protests directed against Manning gov't, not Commonwealth leaders

The president of The Trinidad and Tobago Civil Rights Association has written to all Commonwealth heads of governments and leaders of delegations to this week's Commonwealth heads of Government meeting (CHOGM) stating that any protest action during CHOGM is directed at the Trinidad and Tobago government and is not intended "to show any discourtesies to any one of you".

Ramesh L. Maharaj's letter explained that the association is an NGO involved in the promotion of human and fundamental rights that has "over the years instituted public interest litigation against the government to compel it to obey the requirements of human and fundamental rights."

"The problem is not with you," Maharaj stated in his letter, "the problem is with the Prime Minster and government of Trinidad and Tobago and the Association has a duty to bring these matters to your attention".

He said Commonwealth leaders ought to reject official corruption.

"Prime Ministers and governments ought to be required to give priority in spending public monies on building the lives of the people. The people should be put first," he said, noting that "The government of Trinidad and Tobago is spending millions of dollars on International Summits and Conferences whilst hundreds of thousands of our citizens cannot get a regular supply of drinking water."

Maharaj noted that the Manning administration spent about $TT1 million to host the 2009 Summit of the Americas and is spending another TT$500 million to host CHOGM.

He provided details of other expenditure, which he said is not justified.

"It has spent over $400 million dollars to build a new Prime Minister’s residence and it has recently spent over $2 million on a flag pole. It intends to construct another two flag poles which would cost another $4 million," he pointed out.

He added, "The government has spent and is spending billions of dollars in building big buildings but it is not giving any priority to spend monies to build the lives of the people."

Maharaj outlined some of the other problems that citizens face, including the lack of proper roads and drainage, which adversely affects the people in their everyday lives.

The lack of proper infrastructure, he said, causes "school children to stay away from school, ambulance services are denied to them and physically challenged persons are virtually imprisoned in their homes.

"The absence of proper drainage in the country cause regular flooding which cause damage and destruction to their property and their belongings. The produce of farmers are destroyed thereby denying them their right to a livelihood. Many of our citizens die because they cannot get affordable and adequate health care."

The former attorney general said the Manning government "condones official corruption in the administration of State Agencies. Clear evidence exists that public officials have been corrupt but the government turns a blind eye to public officials stealing the monies which belong to the people.

"The government has frustrated the appointment and functioning of an Integrity Commission provided for by the Constitution of Trinidad and Tobago, frustrated the appointment of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, a Solicitor General and a Commissioner of Police.

"The government has subverted and undermined the Constitution of our country. The government refuses to answer questions in the Parliament and it has frustrated the functioning of Joint Select Committees in Parliament to properly scrutinize the government in Parliament.

"The government has taken steps to weaken the freedom of information laws in our country. The government has in effect overthrown the Constitution of Trinidad and Tobago and has demonstrated no respect to the principles of openness, transparency and accountability in government.

"Prime Minister Manning published a Draft Constitution for Trinidad and Tobago...that would give Prime Minister Manning total control of all State power," he said.

He told the commonwealth leaders the draft constitution gives Manning absolute control of all three arms of the State.

"He would have all the powers which dictators in the past had to achieve their own ends," Maharaj said.

He offered the leaders and their delegations an opportunity to see for themselves evidence of his statements, saying his association would be happy to take anyone on a tour to see the reality behind the facade.

"It is political hypocrisy for the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago to profess internationally that he is committed to equitable development but in the discharge of his duties as Prime Minister he openly and nakedly promotes and practices inequitable treatment of the people of Trinidad and Tobago," Maharaj said.