With three days to go until the electoral college meets, debate continues over the government’s choice of Senate President Christine Kangaloo as the new President of Trinidad and Tobago to replace Paula-Mae Weeks and the opposition’s choice of senior adviser Israel Khan.
Here are some other reactions from well-known citizens:
In a telephone interview last Tuesday, Port of Spain South Member of Parliament Keith Scotland, who is also a lawyer by profession, said: “I think it’s a wise choice. Very welcome and appreciated. I wish them all the best to her.”
Former general secretary of the People’s National Movement (PNM) Ashton Ford: “I think it’s a wonderful appointment. She is right when she presides in the Senate. You don’t have to be a loudmouth to be President. You can be calm and collected like the late Noor Hassanali and Sir Ellis Clarke. Most presidents were good. The country owes outgoing president Paula-Mae Weeks a debt of gratitude for her conduct.”
Via email, University of the West Indies St Augustine campus history lecturer Dr Michael Toussaint stated: “The Prime Minister (Dr Keith Rowley) is very firm about the government’s nominee for the next President of the Republic of Trinidad. and Tobago. Most importantly, the choice of the Government is in accordance with what is stated in the Constitution.
“Regarding the appointment of Christine Kangaloo, the opposition’s position is fundamentally unfounded in the context in which it is presented. The opposition certainly has its right to raise objections and propose its candidate. However, this does not detract from Kangaloo’s acceptability.
“In the first place, if Kangaloo were to be elected, it would not be the first time that a former Senate president or a prominent politician was appointed President. We recall that Emmanuel Carter served as a senator, then as President of the Senate between 1990 and 1995 and as President of the Republic in 1990. Even more significant is the case of the late Prime Minister and President Arthur NR Robinson, who before being elected as President, served as Member of Parliament for Tobago, and then as First Minister of Finance of Trinidad and Tobago under the PNM administration. He subsequently served as Speaker of the Assembly and as Tobago’s representative in Parliament under the Democratic Action Congress (DAC).
“Afterwards, he served as Prime Minister under the NAR administration – all this before he was appointed and appointed as our country’s Third President by the KBB. Kamla (Persad-Bissessar) had no objection at that time. There is a measure of hypocrisy inherent in the opposition leader’s statements. The appointment of Anthony Carmona as president, as qualified as he is, would more than likely have been foreseen even in his favorable decision regarding the integrity court case of former Prime Minister Basdeo Panday. And the opposition leader is well remembered for fielding the late Judge Herbert Volney as an electoral candidate in 2010, a sitting judge who may well have had pending cases.
“Therefore, there is a lack of credibility in the statements of the opposition and its leadership. And it is important to distinguish the endgame. The first objective of the opposition leader is to weaponize the issue of the election of the President. Weaponizing everything the government does, including dealing with Covid-19, is the opposition’s strategy. But there is much more.
“Currently, there is concern regarding the involvement of former Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi and Vincent Nelson in connection with the bribery case against Anand Ramlogan and Gerald Ramdeen, a case on which Israel Khan has already adopted an anti- government although some Issues related to controversy remain under trial.
“This is Kamla’s main interest in Israel Khan. If the latter were appointed President, Kamla would at once require him to act against the Government, or else be considered to be acting contrary to the position he had previously taken. And Israel Khan is known for being colorful and controversial, mostly through heated, loud, attention-grabbing positions and statements that are far from uncontroversial or substantive in the long run. Recall his claim that Kamla should return her silk because she criticized the Law Society over its position on the UNC’s no-confidence motion against Reginald Amour and that the prime minister should impose a state of emergency for a period limited to help curb crime.
“As reflected in the representation of one of the members of the Dole Chadee gang, Israel Khan comes across as very self-centered. None of these suggestions reflected resolutions that were irrefutable, binding or inevitable. They were essentially irreconcilable: one hinted at the intolerance of disagreement with his position; the other, underestimating the financial and other implications. Rowley would be somewhat rash to elect him as President. Trinidad and Tobago could do without that kind of Head of State, as within the framework of our Constitution this office requires much more gravitas, care and sensitivity. Dr Keith Rowley seems in his own way to be choosing an official with a more studied rationale, filling the vacancy in a way to suggest that every faith and race finds an equal and contribute to our growing commitment to equality of women. and intended to promote peace and tranquility in Trinidad and Tobago.
Israel Khan, like many other sons or our land, is qualified. But there are reasons why Kangaloo may be perceived as more eminent. After all, when considering Volney, Jack Warner, Anil Roberts, Anand Ramlogan, Reshmi Ramnarine, Therese Baptiste-Cornelis, Kamla has no special claim to being the right or even the right choice. And in any case PNM has the necessary majority for the election of the President”.
In an e-mail, Dr Aakeil Murray, Assistant Lecturer and coordinator for the Certificate in Humanities program at the St Augustine campus, said: “I think the government and the opposition should be more scrupulous in selecting presidential candidates. I believe that the person who holds the office of President must not only be someone who is impartial in performing his duties on behalf of the people, but that person must also appear impartial in the eyes of the people.
“With a cultural atmosphere where many Trinbagonians believe that undue favoritism and nepotism reign, the next President should have been sought on the basis of their non-partisan disposition as a member of society so that people have confidence that they will carry out their duties . as President in a bipartisan manner. Both former People’s Partnership and PNM administrations achieved it in the past with the election of former president His Excellency Anthony Carmona and Her Excellency Paula-Mae Weeks. While both Presidents were criticized by segments of the population, they were largely seen as fair elections in the eyes of most Trinbagonians.
“A similar type of presidential candidate is needed, especially at such a difficult time for the nation. Senate President Christine Kangaloo and Israel Khan, with their involvement in political affairs, do not appear as non-partisan candidates to the population. Kangaloo is known to have been involved in partisan politics, while Khan has been outspoken about the actions of politicians and, on several political issues, was once quoted as describing Persad-Bissessar as “…an extremely strong woman, a shrewd and cunning politician who deserves a second chance to be the prime minister of this country”.
“While history tells us that an active politician, His Excellency, former President Arthur NR Robinson served as President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago from 1997, his tenure was not without controversy and suspicions of bias when he elected Patrick Manning as Prime Minister. in 2001 after the 18-18 general elections, on the basis of “moral and spiritual values”, even though Basdeo Panday was in office. I have to ask all Trinbagonians the question, if we end up in a similar political situation as the unprecedented events of 2001, and either Israel Khan or Christine Kangaloo is our president, will we be at a loss as to who will they choose or will we already have a preconceived opinion of who they will choose based on their past actions and loyalties?”
