Caption: Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar
By Alicia Chamely
PRIME Minister Kalma Persad-Bissessar has accused the Law Association of Trinidad and Tobago (LATT) of being infiltrated by People’s National Movement (PNM) “eat-ah-food” lawyers.
The prime minister was speaking on Monday at the first United National Congress (UNC) Monday Night Forum since their election win in the April 28 general election. The meeting was held at Penal Secondary School.
Persad-Bissessar’s comments came after LATT’s release on Monday, criticising what they viewed as “attacks” on the independent bench of Senate, especially those who did not give support to recent government legislation.
LATT stated, “Our democracy needs strong and independent thinkers. Sadly, however, particularly where our public institutions and public figures are concerned, their independence and integrity are often called into question whenever they hold or express views or perspectives which differ from those of our politicians. This is a trend which must be reined in.”
In a response, Persad-Bissessar questioned the timing of LATT’s criticisms.
She said, “Interestingly, the Law Association, which is often criticised for its silence, has suddenly found its voice to express concern over what it perceives as an attack on ‘the independence and integrity’ of the independent bench in the Senate. This is the same body that remained silent over the past ten years, when the PNM destroyed the sacred core of democratic principles, institutions, and the rule of law.”
Persad-Bissessar accused LATT of having been under the influence of PNM lawyers, saying, “The fact is that the PNM ‘eat-ah-food’ dunce lawyers have long infiltrated the executive of the Law Association, and it is high time their political hypocrisy and agenda are exposed. People are no longer fooled by greedy legal fake elites masquerading as independent voices who were quietly gorging on the treasury by the billions.”
She said the public was now becoming aware that those who claim to be independent were “actually reliant on the PNM favour and will do anything to regain their former status.”
Persad-Bissessar ended by saying, “This pseudo-aristocratic hangover from colonialism, where some believe they can lecture the citizens from a position of superiority, is evident in the placement of PNM operatives in supposedly independent institutions. The Law Association’s charade does not fool the populace.”
