PM, AG, CJ absent from South court opening

PRIME Minister Patrick Manning, Attorney General John Jeremie and Chief Justice Sat Sharma were notably absent from yesterday’s formal opening of the Industrial Court in San Fernando. The court, which is an arm of the Judiciary, will serve the needs of persons in South Trinidad seeking redress in industrial disputes. Manning was listed on the programme to deliver the feature address, but Culture Minister Joan Yuille-Williams deputised for him and unveiled a plaque to formally declare the court open.

Industrial Court Judge Gregory Baker said Manning was attending to “emergency national business” and could not attend the function. Attorney General Jeremie was also listed to address the gathering, which was attended by all Industrial Court judges, but he was absent. CJ Sharma was not listed to speak, but Newsday confirmed that the Chief Justice was invited to attend as head of the Judiciary. Sharma is chairman of the Judicial and Legal Services Commission (JLSC,) which is the body that appoints and disciplines judges of both the High Court and the Industrial Court. Yuille-Williams read Mann-ing’s speech, the opening of which contained salutary greetings to dignitaries including, CJ Sharma.

Rejecting claims of governmental interference in the operations of the Judicary, Yuille-Williams yesterday declared that the Manning administration was committed to the “independence of the Judiciary” but also “subject to the dictates of the court.” Yuille-Williams said Government was committed to the separation of the Judiciary from the Executive and Legislative arms of the State. “This commitment, as indeed our commitment to all that is fundamental to the development and preservation of our modern democratic State, including the rule of law and the separation of powers, will never be abandoned by Government,” the minister said. In a speech intended to confirm Government’s commitment to the country’s justice system, Yuille-Williams described the Industrial Court as an institution which “democratises relations between employers and employees.”