Kamla will decide next step

THE Opposition Leader will determine the next course of action, now that President Paula-Mae Weekes will not disclose the names of nominees for the Judicial and Legal Services Commission (JLSC) to her. The President made communicated her decision in a letter to Kamla Persad-Bissessar last month.

Weekes said she did not understand the need to disclose the names of the judges nominated to serve on the JLSC. The President said this could unnecessarily embarrass the people who were not chosen. She suggested Persad-Bissessar use her "constitutional heft" of her office to make her own enquiries of the Chief Justice and the JLSC. In a letter on March 7, Persad-Bissessar said she was disappointed and disagreed with the President about making her own enquiries about the JLSC nominees.

With the United National Congress (UNC) involved in several high-profile sensitive cases, Persad-Bissessar said it was not "appropriate or proper" for her to make such requests as opposition leader. She is also UNC political leader. In a subsequent letter, Persad-Bissessar said she would make the necessary enquiry as "a matter of urgency." She asked Weekes not to make any JLSC appointments in the meantime.

Efforts to contact Persad-Bissessar to get further information about her enquiry were unsuccessful. UNC deputy leader David Lee said Persad-Bissessar has not raised this issue at the party's parliamentary caucus. Lee said the last caucus discussed the Non-Profit Organisations Bill 2019, which was debated in the House of Representatives last Friday. He did not know if the caucus would address this issue.

Opposition senator Gerald Ramdeen said he knew of the letters between the President and Persad-Bissessar. He explained this was not necessarily a party matter, but one between Persad-Bissessar and Weekes. Ramdeen said Persad-Bissessar would determine the next step. "I am sure the situation will be resolved, one way or the other," he said. The President appoints the members of the JLSC in accordance with Section 110 of the Constitution. Section110 (3) states the appointments are made after the President consults with the Prime Minister and Opposition Leader. In another letter to Persad-Bissessar, Weekes said she did not think it prudent nor would she share with the Prime Minister or Persad-Bissessar, the factors considered in selecting any proposed appointee.