Senior Counsel Israel Khan has penned an open letter to Political Leader of the UNC Kamla Persad-Bissessar telling her that if she fails to resign as political leader of the party before the election for the leader is held, the election would be “ultra vires of the UNC Constitution and thus illegal.”
In the letter sent yesterday morning hours ahead of a meeting of the UNC National Congress to discuss the decision by the National Executive to hold the early election for the post of political leader, Khan cautioned that if Persad-Bissessar failed to “adhere” to his advice she will be sending the “wrong signals to the floating voters on the East West Corridor and other marginal areas,” that she is “more concerned,” with “consolidating “her position as leader of the UNC and Opposition leader than adhering to the principles and rules of the party’s constitution.
Khan said if Persad-Bissessar is prepared to “breach” her party’s Constitution then she cannot be “trusted to head a Cabinet which will adhere to the spirit and rule of law of the Constitution of Trinidad and Tobago.”
The Senior Counsel, who said he saw the need as a citizen with a “strong belief in the rule of law,” to give Persad-Bissessar and the UNC “pro-bono advice,” told the UNC leader that section 83-2 of the Constitution of T&T would not affect her position as Leader of the Opposition, if her position as UNC leader becomes vacant for a few days in order to facilitate your re-election.”
Section 83-2 of the Constitution gives the President the power to appoint “as leader of the Opposition the member of the House of Representatives, who, in his judgement, is best able to command the support of the greatest number of members of the House of Representatives who do not support the Government.”
There are eighteen members of the Opposition.
On Persad-Bissessar’s challenger for the post, Vasant Bharath has said he has the support of six of those 18 in his quest to become leader. Khan said Persad-Bissessar would do well to “concentrate on flushing out” any MP who may be secretly supporting Bharath.
Khan said those “traitors,” must be dealt with”decisively and effectively,” and must “never see the corridors of political power.”
He argued that nothing is wrong with others contesting the leadership position, “but it must be done openly and not with secret and underhand support. It must not be done surreptitiously.”