Thank God for Gail

The fiasco of Gail Merhair’s vote in favour of the Government, which allowed it to postpone local government elections for yet another year, would be laughable, were it not for the serious issue involved. Senator Merhair’s logic has been exposed by all and sundry as being fundamentally flawed. She has embarrassed and proven herself unworthy of an independent senatorial appointment and should resign.

The function of an independent senator is not to preserve the status quo by voting with the Government. This is the role of the President of the Senate, who has a casting vote and conventionally votes to support the Government.

Fail people
Merhair said to vote against the Government would conflict with the role and function of an Independent Senator who should not thwart or taunt the will of the Government. This is absurd, to say the least; more so because the goodly senator was severely critical of the move by the Government to further postpone the local government election yet again. I join the growing chorus of voices calling for Senator Merhair’s resignation. By her own admission, her misunderstanding of the role of an independent senator disqualifies her from remaining in the Senate. Unlike the PM, the criteria for the appointment of an independent senator are not the same as the appointment of government ministers. (These criteria, you may recall, according to Prime Minister Patrick Manning, are simply “a level head and common sense.”) Section 40 (1) (C) of the constitution mandates the President to appoint nine independent senators in his own discretion “from outstanding persons from economic or social or community organisations and other major fields of endeavour.”

Stupidity and incompetence, unfortunately, do not disqualify people from becoming ministers or senators. If such criteria govern these appointments, there would be many vacant chairs in Parliament. Ms Merhair may have been a lot better off, if she had simply kept her mouth shut as to why she voted with the Government, in observation of the wise saying that it is sometimes better to keep your mouth shut and let people think you are a fool, than to open it and let them know that you are one. Her partner in crime, Senator Michael Annisette, seems to have followed this advice, and should, perhaps, put an end to this charade, and simply sit among the PNM senators. One of the interesting issues that have always concerned me is the position taken by independent senators who are appointed ex-officio or by virtue and because of the office they hold.

Thus, Senator Noble Khan was appointed an Independent Senator because he was the president of the Inter-Religious Organisation; Mary King was appointed because she was the head of Transparency International; Michael Annisette was appointed because he was the head of a trade union; Gail Merhair was appointed because she was head of San Juan Business Association.

Are these people not meant to consult their respective organisations before they assume a position on sensitive and critical pieces of legislation?  And should their appointment continue if they cease to hold such office? Surely, the idea was to bring to the debate a different, unique perspective, informed and influenced by the experience and aims of these organisations. The nine independent senators are meant to embody and reflect the public’s conscience and feelings.

PNM corpses
Unlike government or opposition senators, they are not required to toe the party line. These appointments are critical to our democracy, because other senators and elected MPs would normally vote along party lines. Weak appointments to the independent bench undermine a critical plank in the foundation of our parliamentary democracy, and should not be supported. Senators Merhair and Anisette have voted to frustrate and suppress people’s democratic right to vote. It is a shameful and disgraceful display of abdication of duty. They have failed the people. Winston Dookeran and Basdeo Panday should be the only ones to thank God for Gail, for the only good that can come out of the postponement of the local government elections is the avoided embarrassment of the opposition parties and the further strengthening of the PNM control of local districts.

There is no doubt the PNM would have wiped the floor with the UNC and COP if local government elections were called. Political unity remains a distant dream with Panday refusing to budge and Dookeran formulating his call for unity as “it’s simple; just come and join the COP.” Panday refuses to go and will hold on to his cherished seats while Rome burns. He has reverted to his old hobby of fighting internal battles so that he can boast of how many bodies he has buried in the political cemetery. Alas, he has buried only his own; none of the corpses came from the PNM.

By Anand Ramlogan