‘How can a person who is closely interwoven within the bowels of the PNM be a neutral and unbiased President?’
By Neil Gosine
IN a bold move that is clearly partisan, Dr Rowley has announced that the President of the Senate Christine Kangaloo is his choice to become the next President of Trinidad and Tobago.
She will become the second female president of the country following President Paula-Mae Weekes whose five-year term officially ends on March 20, 2023, as Trinidad and Tobago’s seventh president.
The Keith Rowley-led Government has the majority in the House of Representatives, so they will have their say as to who will be the next president that will replace President Weekes when the Electoral College meets on January 20, 2023.
It has become obvious the prime minister doesn’t care to have a perceived non-political person in the post, he just wants what he wants.
This behaviour is bordering on dictatorship and looks like another way to control who the next commissioner of police will be, as one of Kangaloo’s first duties as the next president would be to present a new merit list for the appointment of commissioner of police to the Parliament.
After the last controversy with this appointment, I just can’t understand the thinking to control it again. The last Police Service Commission (PolSC) scandal saw the ousting of Gary Griffith as top cop. It was shrouded in secrecy and controversy in removing Gary Griffith and is still not understood clearly. That fiasco led to the resignation of all of the PolSC members at the time and the country is in a difficult position still not having a substantive top cop up to today. And crime spirals out of control.
This Government continues to demonstrate that they do care about the essence of the Constitution, the Rowley-led Government just wants ultimate control of every aspect of government from directing who should be investigated by the police, by controlling who the next police commissioner will be, by dictating what and who the Integrity Commission should target and who should be our next president.
Although this person has previously been a senator under the PNM, she was appointed minister in the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for Social Delivery in 2002 and even between 2005 to 2007, she was the minister of legal affairs. It doesn’t matter to the prime minister, he is just pushing through his choice. How can a person who is closely interwoven within the bowels of the PNM be a neutral and unbiased President?
This nomination is basically a foregone conclusion as the PNM party has the majority votes to ensure she is appointed. It looks like a pappyshow to the public. This shows Dr Rowley’s main purpose is to hold on to the reins of power by any means necessary. Kangaloo is an active politician and has carried this torch under the PNM for many decades. This move will further divide the country and cause more disunity in the country.
To use your dictatorial powers so callously shows the Constitution must change as we can’t continue like this with one single person that can wield so much power.
His perception is uncaring and hard-hearted, and he’s unable to see what is fair, neutral and unbiased in his decision-making. The real losers are the whole population, the increasing number of citizens suffering grows every day and we see no change in his governance during his tenure as he continues to do nothing of any significance to help our citizens.
Neil Gosine is an insurance executive. He is also the treasurer of the UNC and a former chairman of the National Petroleum Marketing Company of Trinidad and Tobago. He holds a Master’s in Business Administration MBA, BSC in Mathematics and a BA in Administrative Studies. The views and comments expressed in this column are not necessarily those of AZP News, a Division of Complete Image Limited.
Kangaloo in Bowels of PNM: Wrong Choice for President
‘How can a person who is closely interwoven within the bowels of the PNM be a neutral and unbiased President?’
IN a bold move that is clearly partisan, Dr Rowley has announced that the President of the Senate Christine Kangaloo is his choice to become the next President of Trinidad and Tobago.
She will become the second female president of the country following President Paula-Mae Weekes whose five-year term officially ends on March 20, 2023, as Trinidad and Tobago’s seventh president.
The Keith Rowley-led Government has the majority in the House of Representatives, so they will have their say as to who will be the next president that will replace President Weekes when the Electoral College meets on January 20, 2023.
It has become obvious the prime minister doesn’t care to have a perceived non-political person in the post, he just wants what he wants.
This behaviour is bordering on dictatorship and looks like another way to control who the next commissioner of police will be, as one of Kangaloo’s first duties as the next president would be to present a new merit list for the appointment of commissioner of police to the Parliament.
After the last controversy with this appointment, I just can’t understand the thinking to control it again. The last Police Service Commission (PolSC) scandal saw the ousting of Gary Griffith as top cop. It was shrouded in secrecy and controversy in removing Gary Griffith and is still not understood clearly. That fiasco led to the resignation of all of the PolSC members at the time and the country is in a difficult position still not having a substantive top cop up to today. And crime spirals out of control.
This Government continues to demonstrate that they do care about the essence of the Constitution, the Rowley-led Government just wants ultimate control of every aspect of government from directing who should be investigated by the police, by controlling who the next police commissioner will be, by dictating what and who the Integrity Commission should target and who should be our next president.
Although this person has previously been a senator under the PNM, she was appointed minister in the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for Social Delivery in 2002 and even between 2005 to 2007, she was the minister of legal affairs. It doesn’t matter to the prime minister, he is just pushing through his choice. How can a person who is closely interwoven within the bowels of the PNM be a neutral and unbiased President?
This nomination is basically a foregone conclusion as the PNM party has the majority votes to ensure she is appointed. It looks like a pappyshow to the public. This shows Dr Rowley’s main purpose is to hold on to the reins of power by any means necessary. Kangaloo is an active politician and has carried this torch under the PNM for many decades. This move will further divide the country and cause more disunity in the country.
To use your dictatorial powers so callously shows the Constitution must change as we can’t continue like this with one single person that can wield so much power.
His perception is uncaring and hard-hearted, and he’s unable to see what is fair, neutral and unbiased in his decision-making. The real losers are the whole population, the increasing number of citizens suffering grows every day and we see no change in his governance during his tenure as he continues to do nothing of any significance to help our citizens.
Neil Gosine is an insurance executive. He is also the treasurer of the UNC and a former chairman of the National Petroleum Marketing Company of Trinidad and Tobago. He holds a Master’s in Business Administration MBA, BSC in Mathematics and a BA in Administrative Studies. The views and comments expressed in this column are not necessarily those of AZP News, a Division of Complete Image Limited.