PNM taken aback by Kamla

The People’s National Movement (PNM) yesterday said it was surprised at the suggestion that Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar had supported the Government’s decision for an interpretation summons to be filed in the high Court to resolve the 53 cases left in abeyance after the appointment of former Chief Magistrate Marcia Ayers-Caesar as a High Court judge and her subsequent resignation from the post.

“This is quite simply untrue,” Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister Stuart Young said in a statement issued by his personal advisor Cheryl Lalla. “The Leader of the Opposition in fact has been suggesting a tribunal be set up under section 137 of the Constitution which is in no way vaguely similar to the route that the Government intends to take by approaching the High Court to have the matter determined.

“Once again the UNC, at the level of its chairmanship, is seeking to mislead the population and the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago.”

In a statement on Friday, UNC chairman David Lee said the decision showed that Persad-Bissessar was right to reject a legislative solution to the issue of the 53 part-heard cases when she met on July 18 with Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley at Tower D of the Port-of-Spain International Waterfront Complex.Young, who is also the PNM’s public relations officer, said the party has noted the content of Lee’s statement with respect to the position taken by the Government and its approach to Ayers-Caesar’s outstanding court matters.

He said the PNM fully supported the position of the Government to seek the Court’s determination of this matter and “rejects the attempts by the UNC to falsely take credit when in fact all they are doing is once again attempting to fool the population.”