Kamla hits Montano — Jarrette hails Rahael

SIPARIA MP Kamla Persad-Bissessar slammed the appointment of Danny Montano as Minister of Legal Affairs, saying that as far as was known publicly, Montano was not a trained attorney-at-law. She also scoffed at Government assurances that Montano possessed a law degree, saying that even if this turned out to be true, that “having a law degree, does not a lawyer make.” Persad-Bissessar is a former Attorney-General and former Minister of Legal Affairs.

Saying that a specific law had created the Ministry of Legal Affairs, unlike the Ministry of the Attorney-General, Persad-Bissessar said: “The minister of Legal Affairs has legal documents to sign in a professional capacity (ie as a lawyer). So, what would be the validity of documents signed by a non-lawyer who was Minister of Legal Affairs? Would it have to be sent to the Attorney-General to sign?” Commenting on the whole re-shuffle, Persad-Bissessar, said: “Our repeated calls for the resignation or removal of the Attorney General (Glenda Morean), Minister of National Security (Howard Chin Lee) and Minister of Health (Colm Imbert) have been vindicated by the Prime Minister’s action. He has demonstrated that we were right all along.”  

Recalling the recent controversy over the Government’s delay to give effect to the Integrity in Public Life Act 2000, Persad-Bissessar pondered: “With respect to the new Attorney-General (John Jeremie), I hope that on assuming office he would file disclosure of any State briefs he or his firm might have received in the last two years, so he can come in with a clean slate.” Elsewhere, newly-appointed Minister of Agriculture, Jarrette Narine, saluted the work of his predecessor, John Rahael, who  was appointed Minister of Health.