The Chief Justice affair

WORKS and Transport Minister Colm Imbert gave an apparent backing to the stance of Prime Minister Patrick Manning in the Chief Justice affair on Friday in the House of Representatives.

Imbert was hitting back at the contribution of Couva South MP Kelvin Ramnath to the debate on a motion to approve the Elections and Boundaries Commission (Local Government) Order 2006, which creates five new constituencies.

Without calling names, Imbert alluded to the unfolding events of the Chief Justice affair and criticised Ramnath’s remarks which he dubbed “rubbish.”

“He complains that the prime minister is listening to ‘news carriers’ and that ‘juniors’ must go to ‘seniors’ and must not go to the prime minister,” Imbert scoffed mockingly.

“He just throw that in there as if we are all stupid,” he hit at Ramnath.

Imbert said Manning had made a statement last year to outline the process, the facts of which are already known to Ramnath. Hitting Ramnath, Imbert said, “The member for Couva South knows what the law is and knows what the procedure is with respect to certain matters.

“He knows that in the particular case of a particular individual holding a particular office in this country, there is a constitution that must be followed, and that there is no other procedure.”

Imbert said, in this case, the Opposition was wrong to suggest if the “junior” felt aggrieved he could go to his “senior.”

“There is a process, Mr Speaker, in the country, and it is in the Constitution and it is being followed.”