AG pleased with Manning’s statement on Section 34 (CNC3 video included)

AG Ramlogan backs Manning's statement on section 34 issue

Attorney General Anand Ramlogan says San Fernando East MP Patrick Manning’s position that he would not have voted for Section 34 of the Administration of Justice (Indictable Proceedings) Act 2011 was a vindication of his (AG’s) position that passage of the section was a collective parliamentary oversight. Ramlogan said so during an interview after yesterday’s swearing-in of new Justice Minister, Tobago-born attorney Christlyn Moore, at Knowsley, Queen’s Park West.

Manning said he would not have voted with Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley and other Opposition MPs for the passage of the section. “What Mr Manning has said raises questions about the leadership of the PNM in the Parliament and the leadership of Dr Rowley,” Ramlogan added. The AG said Rowley and other Opposition MPs, including former Works and Transport minister Colm Imbert voted in support of the legislation.

Ramlogan said he was hopeful Rowley would explain to the population why he voted for it during last night’s PNM meeting at Five Rivers junction, Arouca. The AG said Manning was indicating that the correct thing to have done was not to vote for the legislation. He said what Manning was effectively saying was that the Opposition in the House of Representatives and the Senate erred in their judgment when they supported Section 34.

The legislation, which was proclaimed in August was repealed days later after an emergency sitting of the Parliament. Ramlogan insisted: “If the PNM did not vote for Section 34 and the Independent senators did not support and vote for Section 34, it would never have been law and there would have been nothing to proclaim,” he added.

He also said he wanted to know “what was the intention of the Independent bench for those senators who refused to support the repeal (of the Section). Five Independents voted against the repeal of the legislation. Ramlogan said he was “not casting any aspersions or ascribing any political conspiracy between any defendants and Independent senators.” He said he was happy with “Mr Manning’s timely intervention.”