Kamla Persad-Bissessar's speaking notes
21st
September 2015
President's
House
(Check
against delivery)
On the occasion of my
appointment as Leader of the Opposition, I think take this opportunity to thank
HE, the President for his hospitality here today.
I undertake this assignment
knowing that I have the confidence and support of members of my parliamentary caucus and the
tens of thousands across our country who endorsed our plan to take Trinidad and
Tobago forward and take this opportunity to thank our parliamentary caucus (all
of who are present here today) and to thank all our supporters across the
country.
It is important to say a few
words on the role of the official Opposition in our democratic political system
in the context of recent events.
You may have heard calls for
all to put aside our political differences and move forward after the
elections.
But is that really as nice
and as real as it sounds?
Do we all have to possess the
same political opinions in order to move the nation forward?
Does our democratic system encourage
uniformity of thought and views and opinions?
Our Republican Constitution,
in its very first section, begins with the words:
"The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago shall be a sovereign
democratic State."
How we operate our democracy
is set out in our Constitution.
Our government, chosen by the
people, is accountable to the Parliament.
In the Parliament there are
those members who support the government, and those who do not.
The democratic system operates
in a very deliberate space for those who do not support the government to have
a role in the system: to act as a check-and-balance.
Indeed, the Constitution in
section 83 underwhich my instrument has been made, expressly provides for the
appointment of the Leader of the Opposition as being the member of the HOR
commands the greatest number of members who do not support the government.
In other words our
Constitution provides for a Government and an Opposition.
The Opposition, of which I am pleased to lead,
has an important role to play in our democracy.
In any constitutional
democracy such as ours, there is expected to be dissent, there is expected to
be robust discussion on national affairs - not everyone is expected to share
the same political views.
Indeed, if that were so, we
would become a totalitarian state.
Political differences can and
must exist in a healthy democracy.
There is always room for frank
discussion, dialogue and respectful disagreement.
Recently, the notion of
"Restorative Dialogue" has become fashionable on public platforms.
Of late, we have past
politicians, pseudo-politicians and those who should not be politicians, in
this post-election period, mentioning this phrase of restorative dialogue like
a mantra.
Indeed, one cannot call for
"Restorative Dialogue" while at the same time declaring one southern community
as unfit to host a university campus because of its perceived isolation.
Does one really expect
restorative dialogue after such statements are made?
"Restorative
Dialogue" is certainly noble in its intent, but is it really applicable to
the political realm in a liberal democracy, where not everyone is expected to
share the same political views?
Then there are some who
outwardly declare themselves "independent" of the necessary political
tensions in our democracy.
While I certainly respect
their right to express that position, it should never be that independence
means holding one's self apart and above the political masses.
Elitism in all its forms
should have no place in a democracy that espouses the equality of all
Those who choose to openly
declare their political allegiances should not be looked down upon by others
who hide their opportunism under the veil of neutrality and
"none-of-the-above".
Nothing is wrong with taking
a political side - that is what democracy is about.
Our politics however should
never interfere with our personal and community relationships and our national
patriotism and pride as one people.
Public displays of apparent
independence should not be used as a mask for political activism. Sometimes
those masks do slip, and those persons end up accepting political appointments
despite the so-called independent institutions and offices they recently held.
Let me get back to the
Constitution. I have already mentioned section one - and the declaration of
democracy.
The very next section -
section two says:
"This Constitution is the supreme law of Trinidad and Tobago ..."
Our Constitution is the
contract between the people and the State. It sets out the way our Republic is
to be governed and the official Opposition is given an acknowledged role in
that process.
Insofar as our Constitution
is supreme, all arms of the State must operate within its provisions. One of
the pillars of our Constitution is therefore the rule of law - governance and State activity according to law - not
according to the "Divine right of Kings" or the arbitrary dictates of
some self-proclaimed elitist group, masquerading as "independent".
All institutions of the
State, be they the Executive, the Judiciary, the Legislature, the Service
Commissions, the Integrity Commission, and in particular, the Elections and
Boundaries Commission must operate in accordance with the Constitution and the
law.
Our Constitution acknowledges
and protects the role of independent institutions in the governance framework.
However, I must add that the
rule of law does not and cannot mean that our independent institutions must
operate outside of their Constitutional remit, or that their constitutional
independence is a justification for what may be arbitrary or biased actions.
Some of our so-called
"independent" commentators have expressed the view that the recently-mounted
challenge to the election results in Court is an exercise in futility - that we
should just accept the results and move along.
I wish to respectfully
disagree with these so-called independent minds. I wonder if the proverbial
shoe was on the other foot, what would they say?
You have often heard me say
the phrase vox populi, vox Dei -
"the voice of the people is the Voice of God."
Those words have been used
over the centuries as the clarion call for democracy, for government of the
people by the people for the people.
But how is the voice of the
people to be heard? In constitutional democracies such as ours, based on the
rule of law, the voice of the people is heard by constitutionally mandated free
and fair elections, conducted in accordance with certain and clear rules and
overseen by an independent electoral institution.
But what if there is
uncertainty in the exercise of a constitutional power by the body set up to
oversee elections? What happens if the decision of the Elections and Boundaries
Commission to extend the closing of the polls in Trinidad appears to be outside
of the specific rules and laws governing the elections process?
Our Constitution has provided
for all of this. Our Constitution has also provided for a mechanism to challenge
the result of an election by the bringing of what is called a Representation
Petition to the Court by an elector or by a candidate.
This method of challenging
elections is a feature of constitutional democracies across the Commonwealth.
And indeed has been used right here in Trinidad and Tobago on several
occasions.
The Court, under our
Constitution, has the important task of deciding these challenges and of
interpreting our Constitution to set the legal limits of the EBC's powers.
We have taken the decision to
mount these challenges in the interest of all of the people of Trinidad and
Tobago. It is in the national interest to have a determinative ruling from the
Courts as to the parameters of the EBC's powers under section 71 of the
Constitution and under the Representation of the Peoples Act.
We should not be criticized
for doing what is right and lawful under our democracy.
The decision of the Court in
these matters will provide certainty and clarity for future elections. We say
that it is better to use the avenue of challenge provided by the Constitution
than to harbour lingering doubts and encourage seething resentment at what
happened on the evening of 7th September, 2015.
We have taken the hard road
in the public interest in bringing these Court matters. Before any other
elections in this country, every person must know whether the extension was
wrong or was right. Right now, no one knows for sure and their are as much
arguments for as there are against.
We will let the Courts
decide.
While the Courts do their
work, we have ours. These challenges are our legal entitlements to make. They
are not and can never be seen as attempts to undermine or destabilize the
current elected government.
The Constitution provides
that governance continues even while these questions are before the Courts.
I congratulate the Head of
Goverment and members of government and wish them every success in their
service to the people.
As Leader of the official
Opposition, you the national community should have no doubt that I shall
without fear or favour, together with my parliamentary team, carry out my
constitutional duties of holding the government to account in the interest of
all - those who voted for us, those who did not, and even those who chose to
call themselves "independent".
• All MPs have the right to articulate the interests of
their constituents and to scrutinize the actions of the government and that is
what we intend to do every day during the life of the eleventh parliament.
• My mission as Leader of the Opposition will be to hold the
government accountable to the people and to ensure that the people’s interests
come first and take precedence over partisan political interests.
• In my new role I will continue to represent ALL the people
as we did in government.
• We remain a strong and united group representing the
widest possible coalition of interests through our People’s Partnership and it
is my intention to vigorously represent ALL the people with the same commitment
as I did when I was prime minister.
• I remain resolute in my determination to represent the
people by keeping checks and balances on everything that’s done by the new
administration even as they did when they were in opposition.
• The division between government and opposition is as old
as political democracy itself and our electoral system allows for reversal of
roles as we see today.
• In our democratic system the people consent to be governed
by an administration that ostensibly represents everyone.
• The PM has pledged to be a leader for all the people and
we are prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt whilst at the same time we
will monitor the government’s activities to hold them to that promise
• The role of the opposition in our system is to ensure that
those who do not share the views of the governing party have a strong voice
• As Opposition Leader I intend to be that voice and my
colleagues in the PP who occupy seats in our parliament are also committed to
that cause
• I will ensure that as the leader of the Opposition and of
the PP coalition I will be as vigilant and diligent as we were in government
• In order to have a full political democracy the
administration must recognise the full and unquestioned rights and functions of
the opposition, which is an integral part of the parliamentary system and the
system of governance
• Only in this way can we protect the rights of minorities
and ensure that the force of public opinion will be brought to bear on the
legislative and administrative processes
• We are fortunate to live in a country that has enshrined
our freedom in its constitution and our parliament and our media are guardians
of that right and the very democracy through which we commit to serve the
people
• In my effort to protect our freedom and democracy I WILL
be a most vocal leader of the opposition because I sincerely believe that
freedom always dies when criticism ends
•
Our
focus will be on constructive criticism aimed at building a better Trinidad and
Tobago for all of us, not opposition for the sake of having a contrary opinion
or scoring political points
• That means together with my colleagues in opposition I
will critically analyse all expenditures and prevent abuse by exposing wasteful
spending
• At all times we will act responsibly. I will ask
questions, suggest amendments, and demand information so that all the
activities of the government and the parliament are placed in the public domain
for the benefit of all citizens
• My colleagues and I will scrutinize every action by the
government and in doing so prevent any attempt that may undermine the
democratic procedure that’s expected of a government
• Today I just want to assure every citizen of Trinidad and
Tobago that I will act without fear or favour to make the parliament and the
government accountable to them, to be a strong advocate for change that brings
greater accountability and transparency and to continue the process that I
started as prime minister to work for constitutional change that would bring greater
democracy to our country and hand more power to the people
• When I entered politics it was to serve the people;
throughout my term as Prime Minister I maintained a dialogue with the people
and allowed members of my administration to speak freely on all matters. It was
a system that allowed us to consider the multiplicity of views that our
partnership represented. We will do the same in opposition
• The electoral results show that a majority of the people
of Trinidad and Tobago voted for the party that now holds political office
• But the results also show that hundreds of thousands
rejected the PNM and accepted our plan for Trinidad and Tobago
• While statistically those who voted against the PNM are a
“minority” they represent the diversity of views and opinions must be
articulated in our parliament.
• Soon the euphoria – and the disappointment – of the
election will be over and we will be getting to the very important task of
governing
• I pledge that I will lead the charge for the hundreds of
thousands who expect no less from the Leader of the Opposition
• And to be a Prime Minister in waiting with a full shadow
cabinet to monitor the activities of the administration. I will present more
details on that at a later time.
In closing I congratulate all
the people of Trinidad and Tobago for upholding the very tenets of democracy on
which our country was built. We remain a model to the world in terms of our
respect for one another and the manner in which we live as one family.
In a world that’s ravaged by
ethnic and political strife we have always allowed free debate and an orderly
transition from one government to the next. That’s a credit to all the people
of T&T who fight a good fight but also know that country comes first
As leader of the opposition I
will stand on guard every day to ensure that we remain that way – one people
under God, committed to defend our democracy and freedom.
