Duke praises Judge

PUBLIC Service Association (PSA) Watson Duke yesterday praised High Court judge Justice Carol Gobin for raising her concerns about the proposed re-organisation of the Judiciary. Gobin expressed her concerns in a letter to court executive administrator Master Christie Ann Morris-Alleyne last Friday.

Duke reiterated his call for judicial workers to wear white or stay away from work today. He also urged them to join him in front of the Hall of Justice today to pray.

During that time, Duke promised, "I will not eat anything whatsoever." He said the PSA's lawyers will file a matter in the Port of Spain High Court soon, to stop efforts to re-organise the Judiciary.

In a live video on Facebook, Duke praised Gobin for speaking out. "I wish other judges would be able to do that." He encouraged judicial workers to write to their judges or magistrates. "Put your people under pressure." He said the PSA would write the letters for judicial workers if they did not want to. Repeating his call for judicial workers to wear white today or not report for duty, he urged them to assemble in front of the High Court to pray from 9 am to 2 pm. He claimed efforts to re-organise the Judiciary had wider implications for the entire public service, and warned if this succeeds, "the entire public service dead”.

While the PSA has no problem with improving the Judiciary, Duke alleged that what is happening is a corruption of the Judiciary. He said this was part of a systematic eroding of the independence of the country's service commissions over time by the People's National Movement and the United National Congress. Duke claimed the commissions and the Personnel Department have been transformed over time into "political puppets or political heathens." He said evidence of this were the approximately 17,000 contract workers in the public service. Duke reiterated his claim of the Judiciary’s plan to fire permanent workers and replace them with contract workers. He said Government could exert greater control over the latter. Duke warned public service workers at the Board of Inland Revenue, Customs and Excise Division and the Central Statistical Office that "the hangman's noose" was waiting for them. He said the future of these workers hinged on the TT Revenue Authority Bill 2018 and the National Statistical Institute of TT Bill 2018. These bills are before separate parliamentary joint select committees.

Duke, who is also Tobago House of Assembly Minority Leader, said if government could not pass bills which require special majorities, they pass certain sections of the bill. On March 19, Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi dismissed claims from Duke and Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissesar of political interference in the Judiciary. Al-Rawi said the claims were "a storm in a teacup”. He added, "Public servants cannot be fired."