Thirty seven-year-old Anand Ramlogan was last night being strongly tipped to be named Attorney General. If Ramlogan is selected, he would be sworn in today, shortly after Kamla Persad-Bissessar formally assumes the post of Prime Minister. Persad-Bissessar is scheduled to be sworn in at 4 pm at Knowsley Building, Port-of- Spain, traditional office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. President George Maxwell Richards will conduct the swearing-in. The roof of President's House collapsed two weeks ago, leaving the head of state without a proper venue to host formal functions. Ramlogan last night met the Prime Minister-elect. The southern-based attorney is a human rights lawyer and an advocate for social justice. Two other attorneys had been projected yesterday as possible candidates for the post of AG, but by the end of the day, Ramlogan was seen as the front runner. Ramlogan had been noticeably absent from political meetings in the past weeks, although he was a platform speaker in Gasparillo when Persad-Bissessar rolled into the Tabaquite constituency some time ago.
He was one of three people screened for the Tabaquite seat, but none of those screened was chosen. The selected candidate was Dr Suruj Rambachan. In 2007, Ramlogan fought the Tabaquite seat for as a Congress of the People (COP) candidate, losing out to United National Congress' Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj. In the run-up to the election, Ramlogan's office in San Fernando was firebombed. No one was held for that incident. Persad-Bissessar is keeping the names of her Cabinet close to her chest. Herbert Volney, who resigned from the judiciary last month and successfully contested the St Joseph seat for the UNC, is expected to be Minister of Justice in a newly-created ministry.
Prakash Ramadhar, who won the St Augustine seat for the COP, is expected to be the Minister of Legal Affairs. Winston Dookeran, political leader of the COP, is expected to be the Minister of Finance. He won the Tunapuna seat in Monday's general election. Errol McLeod, former president-general of the Oilfields Workers' Trade Union (OWTU), is expected to be the Minister of Labour, having won the Pointe-a-Pierre seat. Rambachan is being touted to be Minister of Local Government. There is a toss-up for the Ministry of Health, with contenders Dr Fuad Khan and Dr Tim Gopeesingh. UNC Chairman Jack Warner, who had earlier said he did not want a ministerial position, opting to remain as Fifa vice-president, is now being tipped to be Minister of Foreign Affairs. There is speculation over who would be named Minister of National Security, at a time when the murder rate has gone past 200 and counting. The T&T Guardian was informed that Persad-Bissessar may choose this minister from outside her elected MPs.
ABOUT ANAND RAMLOGAN
Anand Ramlogan, who was born in 1973, is a human rights attorney and a graduate of Queen Mary and Westfield College in the University of London and University of Westminster. He has fought and won many landmark cases that have led to many changes in the law. He has represented many a downtrodden citizen and is redefining the law in the area of unfairness and discrimination. He was one of the youngest attorneys from the Commonwealth to address the Law Lords of the Privy Council and is a door tenant at Charter Chambers in London. His cases have been the subject of many articles in international law journals and he gives guest lectures in various universities in London. He now practises law with Sir Fenton Ramsahoye, former Attorney General of Guyana and Professor of Law. Most notably, he has fought for the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha against the Trinity Cross and for a radio licence. He also has fought and won for many public servants, such as Devant Maharaj and Marlene Coudray, with respect to claims of abuse of power.