Analyst concerned by President's nominees

POLITICAL analyst Dr Bishnu Ragoonath has expressed concerns about the current and pending appointments to be made by President Christine Kangaloo under the Trinidad and Tobago Constitution, talking to Newsday on July 11.

Newsday had sought his views on the current row in which several government ministers have questioned Kangaloo's independence as president in light of her background as a PNM minister and in view of her choice of independent senators.

Kangaloo herself has ascribed recent criticisms of her to gender discrimination, but Ragoonath gave little credence to this argument.

Newsday asked if Kangaloo would be expected to have a bias towards the PNM which had elected her as Head of State and which had appointed her as a government minister and then as Senate President. Alternatively, would her office now have such high esteem that she would be expected to be above partisanism, as once mooted by philosopher Thomas Hobbes in his book, Leviathan?

Ragoonath said in theory, the senators named by the president were supposed to be independent in how they think and vote.

"There is not supposed to be any consensus in how they participate in the process.

"The independent senators are expected to vote not necessarily with a common perspective, but on their own particular beliefs (not directed by the president.)"

However, Ragoonath said the UNC had said it expected her as an ex-PNM member to appoint more people sympathetic to the PNM. He remarked, "That is a clear concern."

He said the UNC had referred to geographical representation, alleging all independents were from the East-West Corridor and aligned to West Trinidad, with none from south or central Trinidad.

Ragoonath said race was also an issue. "How could the president have selected only one Indo-Trinidadian? That is not representative of the population."

Recalling Opposition Senator Faris-Al Rawi calling out about half-dozen East Indian names whom he said were for the new Udecott board, Ragoonath mulled whether Kangaloo had previously set a precedent for a lack of representativeness by how she had appointed the independent senators.

"The argument was put to me," he said.

"I am not saying the president's choices are wrong, but she would have had to reflect on what image she wanted to reflect on the independent bench.

"In politics, perception is as good as reality."

Ragoonath said he had no problems with independents voting with the UNC one minute, then the PNM the next minute.

"If it is good law support it. If bad law reject it."

Newsday asked if he could judge the impartiality of Kangaloo's Senate appointments based on their voting record in the very limited number of sittings in Parliament in recent days.

On June 24, all nine independents opposed the government in three votes on amendments in the committee stage of the Children's Life Fund (Amendment) Bill and zero supported.

By June 27, seven independents opposed the government's TT Revenue Authority Repeal Bill and two abstained.

On June 30, five independents backed the government's Prime Minister's Pension (Amendment) Bill and four abstained.

Ragoonath remarked, "I don't put too much emphasis on the fact they changed from zero to five (in support of government legislation, over seven calendar days).

He recalled Independent Senator Courtney Mc Nish saying that even before arriving for the PM's pension debate, his view was you could not get a pension if you had not served.

"He was not concerned if it was the UNC or PNM bring it. That is what we expect of independent senators."

Newsday asked how he would like/expect to see the whole row over presidential independence proceed from now.

He said, "We would have to wait and see how things play out as we go into the future, for example with allegations about the president coming out of the bowels of the PNM.

"Our discussion here today is about nine senators. But as we go forward there are very many other positions the president has to fill, for example the commissions.

"Sometimes the president must consult with the Prime Minister and Opposition Leader. The question is, what is 'consultation?'"

He said when she was opposition leader, Kamla Persad-Bissessar had alleged the president had wanted to appoint someone onto the Election and Boundaries Commission (EBC) and her consultation had merely consisted of phoning up the UNC head and stating, "I am applying this person."

Ragoonath related, "Kamla said it was not consultation. But in terms of what the Constitution required that was consultation."

He said, "So that is the context in which we now have to look now and see to what extent the president will – using her own free will – give regard and respect to the prime minister in the consultation process as she goes forward. We really have to wait and see.

"I think the complaint the UNC has is that the one person who the president had appointed previously to chair the Police Service Commission was the same person the president came back and appointed to serve on the Elections and Boundaries Commission.

"And the question begs, 'What happened?' Aren't there any other persons in this society who are competent and qualified to serve in these positions? Or is it just this one person alone, and are we going to see more and more appointments of this one person or people of similar ilk by the president? That is what we have to wait and see."

Unimpressed by Kangaloo's cry of gender discrimination, Ragoonath said, "I strongly disagree with that perspective, that there has been gender bias in criticisms of her.

"She is not the first female president TT has had. They did not criticise the first female president (Paula-Mae Weekes.)"