PEP: Government treating President's Office as a joke

Phillip Alexander, political leader of the Progressive Empowerment Party (PEP), says the nomination of Senate President Christine Kangaloo for President of the Republic of TT by the government, shows that the office is being treated as a joke.

In a release on Saturday, he said PEP rejected Kangaloo for the post of President and called on the government to “stop playing politics” with the institutions of state. He said the announcement made a mockery of all who previously served as President, and further scandalised the government’s reputation.

“While it (the presidency) can never be depoliticised owing to the nature of how power is wielded under our Constitution, it ought not to be overtly politicised and that is precisely what the nomination of Christine Kangaloo does.”

He asked if the nomination was a “red herring” and that the government’s real nominee would be announced later on.

“As bait and switch is standard operating procedure of this administration one might expect so, as simply nominating someone from the belly of the PNM can do nothing good for the Office of President, the government, or the country as a whole.”

The Prime Minister announced Kangaloo was nominated by the government to serve as President on Friday during a media conference at the Diplomatic Residence, St Ann’s, Port of Spain. Kangaloo is a long-standing member of the PNM and previously served as a government senator, a government minister, and MP for Pointe-a-Pierre.