AG: Cabinet to advise President when to enact new THA law

ONGOING talks between the PNM and PDP in Tobago on a possible power-sharing arrangement to break the six-six Tobago House of Assembly (THA) electoral deadlock will influence when the THA (Amendment) Bill 2021 becomes law.

Another influencing factor is the progress of the Constitution (Amendment) (Tobago Self-Government) Bill, 2020 through Parliament, Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi disclosed on Saturday.

The THA (Amendment) Bill 2021 was passed in the House of Representatives on February 19 and in the Senate on March 2. The Prime Minister and Al-Rawi led the House and Senate debates respectively to prevent an electoral tie in the THA polls as occurred on January 25.

Al-Rawi said, "On the THA (bill), I can tell you that I signed off on the report for the assent of the bill, so it will become an act of parliament most imminently, it will Act No 2 of 2021."

"I remind that that has a proclamation clause and the Act will not be proclaimed until the Cabinet advises Her Excellency (President Paula-Mae Weekes) if and when the Cabinet advises Her Excellency that the Act ought to be proclaimed."

Recalling that Dr Rowley met with PNM and PDP assemblymen in Tobago on March 3, Al-Rawi said, "There are discussions (between the PNM and PDP) afoot. That is being dealt with in the context of the aggressive completion of the Tobago autonomy bill, which is in joint select committee (JSC)."

He observed that the UNC is yet to indicate whether it would support that bill, which needs a special majority for passage in the House and Senate.

"They seem to have nothing to do with Tobago other than to support Watson Duke, who I will say quite simply is the UNC proxy in Tobago." The UNC and PDP have repeatedly denied the existence of any political alliance among them.

In the context of the Constitution (Amendment) (Tobago Self-Government) Bill, 2020, Al-Rawi said the UNC "are the essential voices in achieving a three-quarters majority in the House of Representatives and a two-fifths majority in the Senate, to allow for that Tobago autonomy bill to pass."

Asked if the PNM-PDP talks and the progress of the Tobago autonomy legislation through the JSC would influence if and when Cabinet advises the President that the THA (Amendment) Bill 2021 should be proclaimed into law, Al-Rawi responded, "Absolutely yes. I mean the Prime Minister has spoken in this matter. This is a matter that the Prime Minister is in the lead of. My job was to pass the legislation, prepare the law, in the event that we're called upon to treat with the law."

The THA Amendment Bill seeks, in part, to increase from 12 to 15, the number of electoral districts in Tobago. It also gives the Chief Secretary the power to call a fresh election.

Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) corporate communications manager Bobbi Rogers said the EBC had to wait for the bill to be proclaimed into law before it can begin any exercise to increase the assembly's electoral districts from 12 to 15.