Weekes marks one year in office

PRESIDENT Paula-Mae Weekes marks her first year in office today. Weekes was sworn in at a public ceremony at the Queen’s Park Savannah a year ago.

In her inaugural speech, the President said, “I comprehend fully the state of the State and so understand why we might have every reason to despair.”

She cited the country’s crime problem, homelessness and problems with the domestic seabridge as examples and urged citizens to “confront the darkness and declare that it will not take over.”

Shortly aftewards, last April, the President invited the nine Independent Senators to tea. Under the Constitution, the President has sole discretion over appointments to the Independent bench. Last November, Weekes appointed seven new Independent Senators. Sophia Chote, SC, and Paul Richards were the only two from the previous bench who were retained.

Weekes appointed people to important organisations such as the Police Service Commission and the Port Authority.

She also demonstrated her ability to tackle issues such as fake news. On April 11, 2018, Weekes rejected a claim on social media that she refused to act on the Prime Minister’s advice to appoint Daryl Smith as a minister in the Housing Ministry, citing Section 79 (1) of the Constitution to support her position.

She recalled her reminder to citizens and the media in her inaugural address of their duty to “report responsibly which includes avoiding disseminating misinformation.” Weekes also appealed to citizens to be calm following last year’s judgement on the Sexual Offences Act. She urged people participating in the debate to “be careful not to damage the national psyche by inadvertently inciting victimisation, bigotry and violence.” Jason Jones had filed a legal challenge to the constitutionality of Sections 13 and 16 of the Sexual Offences Act, which criminalise consensual conduct.

Weekes was criticised by Public Services Association president Watson Duke last December when she said some public servants were “inefficient, stagnant and inept.” Duke called on her to apologise for her statements.

Last July, the President intervened to resolve a situation in Tobago where there was a lack of official office space for the members of the Minority Council.

She expressed her views on Venezuelan migrants in her statement on International Migrants Day last December. She said migration can be a powerful driver of development and economic growth but “must be properly managed through the relevant legal and policy frameworks.”

Last month, the President said “an error” had been discovered in the appointment of Appeal Court judge Charmaine Pemberton as a member of the Judicial and Legal Service Commission (JLSC). She said that error will be corrected at the earliest opportunity. She gave this response to correspondence sent to her by attorney Gerald Ramdeen on behalf of UNC activist Devant Maharaj.

On a lighter note, Weekes issued a memo to her staff, telling them she expected to see them back at work, and looking cheerful to be there, on Ash Wednesday. All staff at the Office of the President were back on the job after Carnival.