Mr AG, disclose fireworks facts

THE EDITOR: The Office of the Attorney General has been errant in updating the laws which deal with fireworks and addressing the cruelty meted out to citizens. The proposed implementation of legislative provisions to facilitate increased protections mitigating the heinous acts of cruelty committed on citizens is mouthed by the Attorney General with perceived ambiguity.

Just consider the hasty actions of the Government to suspend the business of the scrap iron dealers (who were foreign exchange earners) and legislating provisions to ban glass bottles for Carnival for the protection of the people as compared to the slow, painful, delayed actions with respect to legislating responsible use of fireworks for the protection of citizens. What are the underlying factors that warrant the different approaches to protecting citizens? Are some more deserving of protection than others?

Though the Attorney General says he is committed to transparent and open communication, he is anything but transparent and open with his communication on the fireworks matter. He has said that the matter is before a Cabinet sub-committee and that the composition of the committee has been established to conduct a balancing exercise between the entertainment value and the rights and interests of those adversely affected by fireworks. He has, however, declined to identify the composition of the committee.

This is not common practice. The composition of Cabinet-appointed committees is frequently made public, if only to be transparent and open.

There can be two reasons that the composition of this Cabinet sub-committee has not been made public. Firstly, it may be that its composition has been established to bring about a pre-determined result, or, secondly, that no such committee has been established.

To clear the air, and in light of the open communication and transparency to which the Attorney General commits, we ask to be advised of the composition of the sub-committee and that it be made public.

The Attorney General has said that a policy has been developed following extensive consultations with stakeholders and the general public, which is intended to put an end to unregulated, irresponsible and inconsiderate use of fireworks. Coming out of the public consultations, over 90 per cent of respondents were of a common view, so just how difficult is it to bring this to fruition? How much longer must citizens wait?

The Attorney General would do well to be guided by one of Basdeo Panday’s guiding philosophies, as his daughter Mickela Panday so eloquently recounted during her eulogy to the former prime minister: “The purpose of life is happiness, and happiness is the right of everyone, provided one’s happiness does not harmfully impose upon others.”

We call on the Attorney General to be transparent and open and provide us and all citizens, within ten days, the specifics of the policy that he says has been developed, the composition of the sub-committee that is tasked with implementing the policy, and a timeline for achieving same.

We simply cannot wait another year.

ROGER MARSHALL

for Fireworks Action Coalition of TT