Kamla: Release Faris report

She vowed to oppose such as she addressed a UNC Monday Night forum at Don Miguel Hindu School in San Juan.

She said Opposition efforts to obtain a report of the probe were instead met by a letter from Defence Force head Rodney Smart which alleged that his predecessor Kenrick Maharaj approved the handling of firearms by the AG’s children. Maharaj has stoutly denied this. Dubbing the imbroglio “Armygate”, Persad-Bissessar accused Government of infiltrating and compromising the Defence Force, to protect Al-Rawi.

Noting neither Al-Rawi nor Maharaj had been called to testify in the inquiry, she vowed, “The Opposition will fight Armygate.” Persad-Bissessar called on Acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams to launch a criminal investigation into the affair. She urged Minister of National Security Edmund Dillon to release the full report of the inquiry.

“We’ll not let Government destroy the Army. We will close the army gate on those responsible.” Persad-Bissessar then repeated her call for Chief Justice Ivor Archie to step down, in light of the Law Association’s recent no-confidence motion in him and the Judicial and Legal Services Commission (JLSC) over the Marcia Ayers-Caesar affair. While suspects in 53 court cases were harmed by Ayers-Caesar’s promotion from magistrate to judge, Persad-Bissessar said no-one had taken responsibility or uttered a word of contrition. She said there is now a crisis of leadership in TT that extends even into the army and the judiciary.

Saying the judiciary is the guardian of the Constitution, Persad- Bissessar said citizens cannot afford to lose confidence in that institution. “We mustn’t let good judges be tarnished by what has transpired.” She urged Archie to listen to the voice of the people or suffer at the hands of the people. “As easily as it is given to you, it will be taken away from you!” While sympathising with Archie on a human level, Persad-Bissessar said the “greater good” outweighs any disadvantages that will accrue to Archie personally, if he resigns.

On crime, she lamented the more than 220 murders this year despite Dillon having two colleagues to help him manage the ministry.

“Stop being concerned and resign,” she urged. “Pick up your bag and go!” Earlier she went through a mock ceremony of holding out an imitation Academy Award to “the greatest actor ever”, who had acted 36 times as prime minister in the past 20 months, Finance Minister Colm Imbert, whom she teasingly re-christened, “Mr Taxbert.”