Commissions not independent

Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday yesterday told President George Maxwell Richards that it was incumbent on him to ensure that his appointments to the various commissions represented the diverse nature of the society. “I think he agreed with that,” he said. The Opposition raised the question of having more informal meetings with the President and, according to Panday, the President said he had no objection to that. Panday said the Opposition also conveyed its unhappiness with the President’s recent appointments to the EBC in particular, and with the general procedure for appointing persons to various institutions.

“We pointed out to him that where commissions are supposed to be independent, they are far from that, and the latest example of that is the Integrity Commission,” said Panday. Panday said the Opposition team which, consisted of Deputies Wade Mark, Kamla Persad-Bissessar and CEO Tim Gopeesingh, told the President that the EBC had not been responding to their letters and “legitimate” requests. Panday said the President indicated that in “an indirect kind of way” having appointed commissioners, it was not so easy to remove them.

Panday said Dookeran, who was supposed to be part of the team, called to say that he had a previous engagement and would not be able to attend the meeting. The Opposition also raised the Vernon Paul issue. He said the President asked if he could appoint a Commission of Inquiry and Persad-Bissessar told him that it could not be done unless Cabinet advised him. “But we know he has influence,” Panday said. He said the UNC planned to write to the OAS (Organisation of American States), UN, Caricom and the Senate Investigating Committee on the issue. Panday said the team told the President that consultation (under the Constitution) was totally meaningless. He said the Opposition would be meeting the President again to work out an interim measure (addressing the consultation problem), pending constitutional reform.