Discrimination case against PM starts today

Assistant Commissioner of Valuation, Ganga-Persad Kissoon of Cunupia, had filed for judicial review, challenging Manning’s decision to block his promotion to the post of Commissioner of State Lands, as discriminatory and unfair.

However, while Myers yesterday allowed Kissoon’s attorneys Dr Fenton Ramsahoye SC and Anand Ramlogan to amend their case, he also allowed an application by Manning’s attorney Russell Martineau SC, to strike out several paragraphs of Kissoon’s affidavit.

One of the paragraphs which was taken out dealt with Kissoon’s claim that during his 35 years as a public servant, he had detected a disturbing racial tread in the Public Service; and in recent times a pronounced racial imbalance in the Public Service which favours Afro-Trinidadians. He had also claimed that the majority of permanent secretaries, heads of departments and human resource officers in the Public Service were non-Indo-Trinidadians. `

He had suggested that he had been victimised and treated unfairly by Manning for no good reason, since he never had an adverse staff report or been charged with any disciplinary offences.

Martineau said Kissoon’s claims were mere conjectures and speculations of his own, and not evidence, while Ramsahoye insisted that Kissoon, under the circumstances, was entitled to express his opinion of his observations over his 35 years in the Public Service.

In order to further booster his claim against Manning, Kissoon noted that on two previous occasions, Manning had blocked the promotions of two persons of East Indian descent in the Public Service. The two documented cases he referred to were, Devant Maharaj and Feroza Ramjohn.

Myers cautiously went through the submission before ruling on these preliminary issues. He then adjourned the matter to today, when Ramsahoye will start his submission.