Housing and the Environment Minister Dr Roodal Moonilal says Government's move to abolish criminal appeals to the Privy Council is another crime-fighting initiative. Moonilal spoke in yesterday's House of Representatives debate on a private motion on the systematic dismantling of the national security systems and structures.
It was presented by Opposition MP Donna Cox in a previous sitting. Moonilal said the Kamla Persad-Bissessar-led Government was elected to "dismantle the policies" of the former People's National Movement government. Commenting on Persad-Bissessar's announcement in Parliament Wednesday of the move to replace the Privy Council with the Caribbean Court of Justice, Moonilal said: "This is also a measure that we intend to use to deal with crime, Mr Speaker. So that we can quickly dispense with certain matters before the court and have faith in our own."
Moonilal also responded to the view expressed by former chief justice and president of the CCJ, Michael de la Bastide, and Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley, that convicted criminals will still be able to file constitutional motions to the Privy Council.
"Mr Speaker, they raise that as if that is a big thing. All it means is, when the time comes, very shortly, we may or may not consider taking the matters of constitutional appeals on criminal matters to the Caribbean Court of Justice," Moonilal told legislators. "It is a constitutional amendment that is required." He said the Government, "with the requisite majority, can alter the Constitution to take the criminal constitutional appeal to the CCJ."
Moonilal said: "All of these people who jump up and say, 'This won't do anything'...they haven't seen the legislation yet. This is the approach we will consider." He said the Opposition had already promised its support "and we expect they will live up to their word."
Moonilal said the Government intended to talk with the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate with a view to arriving at an agreement to secure approval in both the House and the Senate. "We intend to use our skill to build diplomacy to ensure the Opposition will speak on this matter with one voice," Moonilal said.
Moonilal, who was acting attorney general at the time of his contribution, said National Security Minister Brig John Sandy was in China seeking additional measures that can be implemented here to fight crime. Moonilal said harsh measures were required to defeat crime.
Moonilal also said the former PNM Government left "complete chaos and confusion in the housing sector." He said an eviction notice was recently sent to a PNM councillor from central Trinidad who owes the Housing Development Corporation $90,000. He said the HDC had implemented a new policy of allowing owners to live in specific HDC estates and renters to live in others.
He said at Olera Heights in San Fernando there were problems with maintenance because some apartments were owned by individuals, while others were being rented. He said some HDC housing developments were already "the arena of crime," because the PNM created and left the developments as ghettos.
He said there was a measure of inequity at the HDC estates as owners pay monthly fees for maintenance and upkeep of their units, while other tenants fail to make any contribution. Moonilal said the Government will seek to ensure no citizen is put on the streets.
Panday responds:
Contacted for comment yesterday, former prime minister Basdeo Panday said Moonilal must explain to the nation how the initiative would help in the fight against crime. Panday said he could not see how it would work as both the former attorney general Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj and the ex-president of the CCJ and former chief justice Michael de la Bastide have said appeals for convicted killers would still be taken to the Privy Council.
Told that Moonilal said the Government would seek to amend the constitution to prevent such appeals going to the London-based Privy Council. Panday insisted: "We have to wait and see." He said Persad-Bissessar made the announcement of the change in Parliament on Wednesday "only to divert national attention from the amount of money paid by taxpayers for her sister, Vidwatie to travel with her abroad."