GILLIAN LUCKY: MP OF THE YEAR

When Gillian Lucky, Opposition United National Congress Member of Parliament for Pointe-a-Pierre, signed the Report of the Privileges Committee, a committee which by convention acts as a court and which had deliberated on evidence adduced before it in the so-called “Teacup incident” she acted in the highest, indeed noblest Westminster tradition. As an Officer of the Court, herself, she understood that sitting as a member of a committee acting as  a court she had no alternative, despite the protestations of her party’s then Political Leader, Basdeo Panday which (the protestations) would come later and would produce the laughably absurd statement by Panday that politics had a  morality of its own!  Many observers await the disavowing of this statement by the present Political Leader of the UNC, Winston Dookeran.

Miss Lucky’s had been a principled position, which Mr Panday will perhaps on reflection recognise as worthy of salute. As a member of the Privileges Committee, which has a judicial role, unlike that of any other Parliamentary Committee, Miss Lucky was not subject to the dictates of the Party Whip. Rather she was acting as a Judge in a Committee, which as I pointed out earlier has a judicial role. As such, Miss Lucky was required to make a decision based, not on party loyalty or dictates, but acting impartially guided by the hard, cold evidence presented. She was prepared to sacrifice a promising political career, if enough registered voters of her constituency should in the next General Election, constitutionally due in 2007, decide that her principled position meant nothing to them. And that what they wanted, nay demanded of her was absolute party loyalty.  No Court of Law, save in a communist, fascist, supremacist or in a simply dictatorial country, would have delivered  a judgment based strictly on political or social lines, as opposed to hard evidence.

Gillian Lucky, an Officer of the Court and the daughter of a distinguished jurist and committed social worker and former school principal, knew instinctively what was expected of her. Many a politician, regardless of party, but wanting to stay on in politics, regardless, would have recanted. Nonetheless, there are still a few in Trinidad and Tobago and throughout the Caribbean Community of Nations, who would not have placed so-called party loyalty before what is required of them. The Honourable Karl Hudson-Phillips, for example, had declared publicly at a meeting in Woodford Square in 1976 that he would not sign any undated letter of resignation, which late Political Leader of the People’s National Movement  and Prime Minister, Dr Eric Williams, had demanded and insisted on of any and all persons wishing to contest the election under the PNM banner. What Dr. Williams had done was wrong, but he had such sway with members of his Party that no one, save Mr. Hudson-Phillips, dared to challenge him on the issue of the undated letter. He would later pay the political price. (Forgive the cliche.)

Dr Williams was wrong, in the same way that Mr Panday was wrong, although both the issues and circumstances were different.  I wish to make it clear that nothing that I may have written should be construed to mean that I am challenging the integrity of Mr Panday, nor that of Dr Williams. Nonetheless, I reserve the right to criticise them for their actions to which I have referred. The Privileges Committee of Parliament performs a judicial role and Miss Lucky, as a member of that committee at the time, acted appropriately. It is difficult to understand why anyone, specifically Mr Panday, who like Miss Lucky is an Officer of the Court, should have disagreed with the position she took.

It required courage and moral stature for her to have principle and not merely a desire to continue in politics at all cost, as her guide. There are those who, in any generation, would not have risked their political careers. Prior to Basdeo Panday’s “Politics has a morality of its own,” there had been several pronouncements on politics that had caught my interest. I quote two, one by the Greek philosopher, Aristotle, the other by a former Trinidad and Tobago professional politician and Government Minister, Albert Gomes. Aristotle’s was conservative, “Man is by nature a political animal.”  Gomes’  “In politics, anything goes,” was far removed from Aristotle’s. But I have strayed. I salute Gillian Lucky and name her as the first recipient of my award for Member of Parliament of the Year.  A Happy and Prosperous New Year — 2006 — to all of my readers.