Section 34 raises questions about judgement of former President: Ghany

Political scientist Dr. Hamid Ghany on Monday raised a different angle of the contentious Section 34 matter, which the PNM and the Roundtable have refused to let go.

Speaking on national television Ghany said the performance of former President George Maxwell Richards in relation to the section 34 controversy needs to be considered. 

Ghany made the comment to CNC3 Morning Show host Hema Ramkissoon when she questioned him about the December 7th 2012 letter from Richards to Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar. 

The confidential correspondence was about issues related to the early proclamation of section 34. The Roundtable continues to insist that there was what it calls a "criminal conspiracy" by the Government in recommending it.

Speaking on the same show last week Monday Ghany stated that the Roundtable has to be careful about where it is going with its allegations. He noted that the end point of any conspiracy would end with the President's signature as only his signature could have given effect to the early proclamation of section 34.

File: Former President Max Richards on the even of departing office

This week Ghany reiterated that position and added that if the Rountable continues with that line then it would become necessary to examine the application of presidential judgment in other matters involving Richards. 

He said "this would force us to examine other controversial matters that involved his judgment" during his presidency. These include:

• the collapse of the Integrity Commission one week after it was appointed in May 2009
• the decision of the President to go abroad on vacation at the height of the State of Emergency in 2011
• the suspension of Gladys Gaffoor from the Integrity Commission in February 2012
• the early proclamation of section 34 in August 2012
• his decision not to appoint an Integrity Commission while he was still in office in March 2013 which has left the country without an Integrity Commission since his departure

Ghany argued that the leaked presidential letter to the Prime Minister that was published in the media has now raised all of those issues of his personal judgment as it is clear that then President Richards "was asking questions of the Prime Minister in December 2012 that he should have been asking her in August 2012."