Ramesh to take Government to court

FORMER ATTORNEY General Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj yesterday vowed to fight government all the way to ensure all citizens enjoy  their rights. In that regard, Maharaj said legal action will be taken soon against the Cabinet of the current PNM Government if the Equal Opportunities Tribunal is not established. Maharaj was at the time speaking at the national conference to protect the interest of the less fortunate in the society at the Queen’s Park Savannah. The conference was organised by the National Committee for the prevention of homelessness and the Workers Action Committee of which he is lead counsel.

Maharaj told his audience which comprised “the less fortunate” — flood victims, casual workers, vendors, squatters — that the government has to implement the Equal Opportunities Act and other Land Acts in a bid to alleviate the existing problems as it related to land issues and the Equal Opportunities Commission. He said government was acting illegally in not establishing the commission and vowed to use the courts to “stop them.”
He said within a week or the next ten days, legal action will be taken against Cabinet for not establishing the Equal Opportunities Tribunal under the Act. He also spoke of class actions on behalf of vendors, squatters and farmers to be undertaken. He said the court must give what is due to citizens. He said he was prepared to fight the battles and lose if he must. But he warned the fight will be taken all the way to the Privy Council and already he had spoken to several persons locally and in London to get “public spirited lawyers” to work on a pro bono basis to ensure victims of  injustices get redress.

He advised those present that they must not succumb to the pressures of government but fight against them by uniting and saying enough is enough.
Maharaj said within 14 days government must give an undertaking that no homes on State lands will be demolished unless there is a court order; the measures it intends to take to prevent slave labour; and action to redress the injustices against casual workers as well as give a public assurance to prevent future flooding, among other things. Maharaj also announced the committee’s intention to mount a national campaign from August to April next year, in which meetings are held in all communities to educate citizens of their rights. He said the lawlessness of the government demonstrated why crime continues unabated in the country. At the conference, several persons spoke of the injustices they have suffered, including Clifton Modeste, a visually impaired man, who spoke of having to move his account from a Marabella bank because he had insisted that he be able to use a toilet.