PNM flip-flops on judges and Integrity Act

SIPARIA MP Kamla Persad-Bissessar yesterday accused the PNM of flip-flopping in its position on whether judges and magistrates should be scrutinised by the Integrity in Public Life Act 2000. She was reacting to Attorney General John Jeremie’s plea to the Opposition last Friday in the House of Representatives to support Gov-ernment moves to exclude the judiciary from the Act in favour of scrutiny by the Judicial and Legal Services Commission (JLSC).

The National Constitution section 138(1) establishes the Integrity Commission to receive “declarations in writing of the assets, liabilities and income” of public officials including judges. The Integrity Act prohibits public officials from using insider information (s25); influence-peddling (s26); accepting an unauthorised “fee, gift, or personal benefit” (s27) and any “conflict of interest” (s29), in connection with their duties. Defaulters face ten years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and seizure of their assets. But while not saying how the Opposition would react to Jeremie’s plea, Persad-Bissessar pointed out that the PNM had completely reversed its position on whether judges should be covered by the Integrity Act since the party had moved from Opposition into Government.

She recalled Diego Martin East MP Colm Imbert in Opposition in the debate on the Integrity Act on October 6, 2000 strongly insisting that the judiciary be included in the list of public officials covered by the Act. Referring to the Hansard, she recalled Imbert telling the House of Representatives: “We are demanding this (UNC) Government amend this legislation to include the persons we have requested — senators, judges and magis-trates.” Persad-Bissessar said that when a minister asked Imbert if he really meant judges, he had replied: “Why not? What is the problem? What is so sacrosanct about that? In my opinion it will create greater respect for that system. Why should anybody be sacrosanct? Why should we have any sacred cows in this society?”

Persad-Bissessar related: “The inclusion of the judiciary was in direct response to the demands of the then PNM Opposition.” Even moreso, she recalled that Diego Martin Central MP Ken Valley said he was proud of the Act, including the amendments requested by the PNM. Persad-Bissessar concluded: “It is flip-flop on the Integrity Commission. The question must be ‘why?’ Given the track record of deception of this Government, every action must be examined carefully and we shall do so in our caucus.”