A good start

The most important area of agreement was on the matter of campaign finance reform. By the Opposition Leader’s account, the Prime Minister accepted her view that all past documents on this matter should go to the Law Reform Commission (LRC).

It is essential that both political parties commit to reform in this area. That commitment must be more than just pushing paper around. The objective must go beyond the mere tabling of a bill. It must involve the passing of legislation and implementation.

Having established that both parties are at the table on this issue, it is for the Cabinet and the Ministry of the Attorney General to go full speed ahead on this matter. The population will not tolerate a repeat of the procurement reform legislation which took years to pass.

We need legislation that reforms how election campaigns are run; that tells us who is financing what political party. Procurement reform is one thing; the other side of the coin is campaign finance regulation.

When we know who is paying the piper we can be more vigilant with how contracts are being awarded and whether procurement rules are being breached.

Another area of agreement was on the matter of crime. Going into the meeting PNM officials had said the agenda would be limited to areas where a special majority is needed – and therefore Opposition support – in Parliament. However, Rowley in the end entertained the issue being raised by Persad-Bissessar.

The Prime Minister said Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi will provide the Opposition with new legislative proposals about how to appoint a Commissioner of Police, while he will provide Persad-Bissessar with a report on what Government has been doing non-legislatively on crime, by the end of this month.

Unsurprisingly, there were areas of disagreement.

The biggest chasm involved the Government’s proposal to heed the recommendation of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Judiciary and the Ministry of the Attorney General in relation to the status of 53 cases left in limbo due to the Marcia Ayers-Caesar affair.

The Opposition Leader rejected outright the Government’s plan to pass legislation to salvage the 53 cases, citing the risk of legislative interference in the Judiciary. Quite bizarrely she, in the same breath, called for a Section 137 tribunal which would effectively mark the commencement of proceedings to remove a sitting Chief Justice. It is the latter option that would represent interference in the affairs of the Judiciary.

The Government has a responsibility to heed the recommendation of the independent office of the DPP and the Judiciary on this issue and cannot allow the Opposition to force it into error. It must legislate amendments to the Summary Courts Act and Preliminary Inquiries Act with or without UNC support.

Furthermore, it must heed the advice of legal experts on the question of Section 137, among them Reginald Armour SC – the attorney with the most experience on this matter nationally. Armour has found no basis to suggest impeachment might be made out.

Another big disagreement was in relation to the Integrity Commission, with Persad-Bissessar insisting the State can “build up” this faltering body. Clearly, there is need for the Government to go back to the table and to talk with the Opposition again. We are pleased, however, that the door remains open for them to do so.