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Just two Sundays ago, I discussed the inability of our public officials to beg our pardon when they blunder. They show contempt for our intelligence and our own experience when they spin improbable explanations for obvious blundering.
The Government has had a very bad fortnight of blunders and ‘no beg-pardons.’ The so-called explanations for these blunders have insulted our intelligence. The Attorney General is not at the top of the blogs and memes; that place belonged to Shamfa Cudjoe, Minister of Tourism, now overtaken by Darryl Smith, Minister of Sport.
(Meme: Christian Hume)
However, the Attorney General’s unqualified announcement—at a time when a notice of appeal had not yet been filed—of a date and time for the hearing of an appeal by the State against a stay of property tax activities was dropped on us at a particularly bad time.
It was a bad time because the blundering of the JLSC in the recent round of appointments to the High Court bench had already undermined the institutional reputation of the Judiciary. And the inevitable but shameful restart of the part-heard cases before the former Chief Magistrate was announced, without apology, on Thursday last.
The Attorney General’s improper announcement triggered new and unseemly questions about the operations of the Judiciary. That additional comess was not the fault of the Judiciary or fall-out from the we-can-do-no-wrong JLSC.
I don’t know what response the Registrar of the Supreme Court will give to the inquiries made of her by Anand Ramlogan SC, acting on behalf of the Claimant, challenging the property tax. What was likely is this: the lawyers acting on behalf of the State would have indicated to the Registry that they would be filing an appeal, wanted an urgent hearing and the Registrar may have indicated a tentative date.
That tentative date would have been subject to the prompt filing of the Notice of Appeal.
The proper thing for the Attorney General to do would have been to inform the public that the State was intending to appeal the decision delivered on Friday 19 May and was hoping to get as early a date as the following Monday 22 May.
Any announcement about the State’s Appeal should have been limited to an expression of an intention to appeal and of the hope of an expedited hearing.
I do not believe that the Attorney General’s unfortunate announcement is evidence of collusion between the Political Executive and the Judiciary. It was a petulant “going to do you back” taunt—characteristic of the immature way in which our politics is practised.
Uncharacteristically for someone of her technology-literate generation, Minister Shamfa Cudjoe seemed unaware that everyone who travels abroad puts their phone on airplane mode and receives email and data by means of Wi-Fi, which is available even in every little one-door parlour or bar all over the world.
There was absolutely no hope of rationalising a TT$59,000.00 phone bill to a population under economic pressure. Minister Darryl Smith has the same problem with the TT$90,000.00 trip to Tobago.
(Courtesy Chevaughn Christopher/Wired868)
We must be thankful for small mercies in that neither of these ministers hinted that the juicy expenses, for which they were responsible, were the result of possible sabotage. That incredible, desperate lamentation was part of the hand wringing of Minister Rohan Sinanan, Minister of Transport, over the failure of the sea-bridge to Tobago.
The lame excuses made by these fourb ministers are insults to the intelligence of the population.
Legend has it that one of the Roman Emperors, Caligula, had no respect for the Roman Senate. To demonstrate his lack of respect, he made his favourite horse, Incitatus, a senator.
The appointment of Senator Incitatus might not have been the worst insult to the Roman Senate—if only because “horse sense” is a phrase applied to sound practical judgment, which is in short supply at the moment.
Senator Incitatus therefore might have made better sense of the appointment of judges, phone and travel expenses, the filing of appeals and the poor maintenance of the sea-bridge vessels, than our persistently wrong-and-strong grappe of public officials.
I return now to the failure of the JLSC to release the report of the tribunal that heard the misconduct charges against the magistrate, who is now newly appointed Justice Quinlan-Williams. My dear colleague, Keith Scotland, in attempting to defend the secrecy in which the report is being held, got his Public Service Regulations in a muddle.
Regulation 109, to which he referred, deals with holding of the proceedings in private; a separate regulation, 102, deals with the report. Reference to 109 is irrelevant. Keith gave us a ‘9 for a 2.’
In my view, the Commission is not restricted by the terms of 102, which is the relevant regulation, especially given the public interest considerations that have arisen now that the transcript of the disciplinary proceedings is widely available in the public domain.
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Martin G Daly SC is a prominent attorney-at-law. He is a former Independent Senator and past president of the Law Association of Trinidad and Tobago.
He is chairman of the Pat Bishop Foundation and a steelpan music enthusiast.
I want a leader like north Korea and the Philippine
be careful what you wish for
Pay the taxes
All ahh demm is A set of jokers
He help put them there..now he complaining
He really means half the population….he did use the word ‘ intellegence ‘
It was a petulant “going to do you back” taunt—characteristic of the immature way in which our politics is practised.
they all wrong
But Carry His CoStar In TobagoFkr Fun On Goverment Money ,
Your mama
at least he dont smoke weed
Foot in mouth that is what the whole government suffering from. Set of Blasted jokers
Am insulted day after day
Govt come Govt go is d same bullshit d poor man go thru dey killing us and d hard part is we put dem dey whether is UNC / PP or PNM
Really??????
Is good to see Martin Daley could open his mouth now,I thought he went dumb since PNM in government, had a lot to say before.
Its nice to see Martin has awakened from his slumber, having had nothing to say about prison gate. Ganja in “the house, email gate etc….!!!!….#Welcometoreality
How can some of our learned jurist ( law Ass members , and former politicians ) who stood by and watched the citizens ( or some ) of this country rights being abused , under an SOE were a number ( thousands ) people were arrested but very few charged , now talk about constitutional matters ? its double standards at the highest .
How smith reach up in politics who is he?
Honestly am glad to see Mr Daily coming out.
Its truly amazing to see that this conversation is about evidence of politicians misusing our funds on both sides of parliament and there are people in these comments choosing sides ..
The gov’t and opposition against the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago loll
Its true your right ..
And downright insulting to the intelligence of the population too
Or are you holding briefs for him?
Daly
How could you leave out imbert who threatens the population about a deadline on a form that they will be prosecuted
Then when citizen through attorney files a motion
He turns around and Says they were never I under any obligation
Isn’t this obscene and idiotic to say The least
Inaccurate and deliberately misleading….to say the least….!!!!
Does the PM wife works for Martin Daly ….just asking…
PNM does tief in a technical way, tstt borrow 1.3 billion Massey get 250 million from that for so called share purchase.Elias, and Rowley go a long way back to Landate and hospital project in Tobago.
Don’t forget the Monteil fiasco. That wasn’t even technical. Just outright blatant.
Ah wonder if they lamented when Moonila, Ramlogan and Kamla was doing the same fuckery
Martin Daly u have know shame how u talking now,when the UNC was there doing all kinds of thing ,your mouth was close,u to should be in jail
take it to the police
what a silly comment
When ministers did all kinda thing….they got FIRED
I want a leader like north Korea and Philippine
Politicians always feel d people is ass but they forget jus how they got put there they will b put out never to come again
Trinidad suffers from too much hypocrisy. I gone Tobago.
Unc much better than dem pnm, ah know dat
UNC not good for this country
Non ah dem,but dey better than pnm
I was on the verge of giving kudos to the PM for his response when I heard it, but then things came to mind-:
Why was the initial response of the ministers one of arrogance (storm in a teacup) rather than acknowledgement of wrongdoing and commitment to do better in future?
Why was the PM the one to issue statement that essentially should have come from the ministers?
Why did the PM think his role was to essentially micromanage these ministers, but the MoNS and MoT seem to be bungling along.
…And the list of questions and concerns goes on.
Only very sharp minds would see clear through the PM’S comment. everyone else would praise it.
I have something very unpopular to say. I find it amazing to see the buffoons photographed, dressed and given platform in this country. Its almost like, their cut figure should never have been present in the first place.
I am not sure how to process that from myself. If it is legitimate or not, but I can’t help but see that was the first clue ignored to peoples’ late complaints
Maven Huggins I so agree. idiots like the archbishop are now being trotted out trying to influence people to pay the property tax.
Spencer Crouch, I saw a post that called out the church that does not pay taxes-for telling ppl to pay taxes lol.
Nerisha Mohammed hahahaha yeah I saw it too
http://www.guardian.co.tt/news/2017-05-28/anand-sticks-his-story
Fire all of them and bring back u.n.c lol
The PM is only a figurehead, like ceremonial, allyuh ent work that one yet?
hahahaha…and he is sure acting like he is the real deal eh…traveling, making deals, and doing so much stuff and for what??? Every puppet has a master, who is his master??
Have a look around at who the real deal makers are, that will give you a hint
it is scary frightening….
When when this country have a great leader who can lift this country out of a 3rd world status and to a developing world status…been waiting for decades…
As long as natives in charge never
Earl Logan perhaps we need to be recolonized by moral people.. we are living in a generational culture where corruption is the norm
Indira, I think we need to do that ourselves. We need to be our own saviour.
I feel if we are getting crappy leader after crappy leader, then maybe there is something we are not doing right.
Either we are not properly holding them to account or we are not doing enough thinking before we give them the wuk in the first place.
But we have to look at us yes. Because they are damn consistent over the last five decades or so.
Crappy leaders are because of two reasons:
Either crappy and dishonest people put themselves up for a representation of the people, or
They become crappy and dishonest when the trappings of power And opportunity to steal get into their heads.
Lasana Liburd I’m trying here but it is challenging when leaders ignore our complaints for road regulatio. Our village is now a sand and gravel industrial eyesore and we cannot walk on our pavements due to hundreds of massive trucks all speeding… insane times we are in..
Senator Incitatus? Well we had two just like it a few years ago when himself took silk and gave silk to her…..just so….guess nobody’s intelligence was insulted then……smfh.
” bacchanal, that’s the way we flow “
What intelligence ????????? people who drive & kill one another I’m trying to edit this statement talk about the airport instead
but thr pm bought it. he did not guide them properly.
They think everyone is on the brain level of children…not even my 6yr old daughter will believe that garbage…highly paid professional lier’s
The culture of the pnm they fires no one kamla fire everyone until she had herself fired ,take. that???????? for three more years.
Didnt hear these words when Kamla and klan were raiding the treasury.Show us where Smith and Shamfa thief.
seems like you have proof take it to the police you sound just like the project manager give him a break failure all the way
Sure time soon come when Police will lockup the unc thieves and crooks. Soon
All you people hear that paul say how pnm is not thiefing only unc does thief how come you think the treasury empty you think is over night or the last five years tell your self this how long the pnm have been in power in this country over 40 plus years
Hold yuh breath breds..police on the trail
Lol…nobody getting lock up..politicians has a morality of its own..thought those were silly words but these ppl argue as part of their work n drink and lime each other when off duty or off camera..
Clyde is a pnm till he dead, cannot change his mind, he sound like he just don’t like unc, no betterment because of people like you paul
U believe anything pnm’pressure n—a more’say. U had no schooling boi.
Clyde Paul who said,,,All ah we thief
Dhanraj Singh said that. And the Kamla administration lived it
No wonder Rowley call them stupid..he feeds them anything n they swallow..when will they think for themselves.. He making deal with so many countries n not 1 coming to invest..wastage of tax payers money..
Don’t forget the PM that backing them
All politicians thinks the rest of the population is stupid!!!!
These jack asses sint tired bray spit now nah ogosh
set of bluffers…only idiots listen to their garbage
If u know is garbage ,tell us what to do intellectual
i am not a politician
I want a leader like north Korea
My Sunday has been made whole !! George Leacock, ‘Sen Incitatus’, priceless !!
The bumping of gums continue.
Barrel..smith’s d boss
Girl how you get ah buss head
Ah bite myself
They are there to “Get”not to “Give”
So sad ,most of all our PM respond ” really he should act more mature like a PM not just allowing things to get out of hands by these young minister they need ” guardiance” badly. Stop covering up for PM ELIZA SINGH
Soo tru