Chief Secretary on buggery law

On the eve of the judgment in thecivil matter filed by activist Jason Jones against the law which criminalises homosexual intercourse in TT, Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Chief Secretary Kelvin Charles said it is not his responsibility to uphold the law in the sense of prosecution.

Asked by reporters for his view on the issue, during Wednesday’s post-Executive Council media briefing, Charles said: “As one who has pledged or taken an oath to uphold the Constitution and the law, once the law continues to be in the books, then I have no choice on the matter.

"However, you must understand that it is not my responsibility to uphold the law in the sense of prosecution.”

He said the State is secular, rather than religious.

“When you get into government and have to deal with a situation where there are competing interest groups, there are many times that your personal opinion does not matter, because you have to at times deal with the lobbies that come to you, because you must also bear in mind that this State is a secular state and not a religious state,” he said.

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"Chief Secretary on buggery law"

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