The Privy Council’s ruling on the postponement of T&T’s Local Government Elections proves that the Opposition Leader was “right to stand her ground”.
So said the Opposition Chief Whip, David Lee.
He said via a release: “Citizens of Trinidad and Tobago would see clearly from this morning’s judgment that Kamla Persad Bissessar’s fight against this draconian move was not based on partisan politics but rooted in her desire to defend, protect, and preserve the democratic right of every single citizen in every community across our nation as stated in Paragraph 32 of the Privy Council’s judgment.”
Part of the Privy Council’s judgment reads:
“The rights conferred by a democratic system of government are not only individual rights enjoyed by each person entitled to vote. It is also the right of all members of the relevant community to be governed by representatives chosen democratically, whether or not individually they are entitled to vote or have exercised that right…”
Lee said as a result of the ruling, people in Opposition-led constituencies “have the ability to exercise their constitutional democratic rights.”
“No longer can the PNM government hide from facing the people of this nation at the polls as they must respect this morning’s ruling which reflects their disdain and disregard for the principles of transparent democratic governance,” Dr Lee said.
He added: “They must call the Local Government Elections now.”