(Trinidad Guardian) Election footing is on, as Local Government elections will be held within 90 days of the Privy Council’s May 18 judgment.
Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley yesterday announced that law is expected to be presented in Parliament on Monday to validate regional corporations’ actions from last December onwards – and once passed, the LG elections will be called within 90 days of the May 18 judgment.
Rowley revealed the direction in an address to the House of Representatives at the Red House in Port-of-Spain.
This, following last Thursday’s Privy Council ruling that Government’s extension of the Local Government term last December to December 3, 2023, was unlawful. Since then, some corporation officials have expressed concern over conducting operations and about councillors’ status.
Rowley said yesterday, “I want to make it abundantly clear that the Government has no choice…but to accept the ruling of the Privy Council and be guided by its findings and their effect on our operations and intentions.”
Rowley detailed steps since October 2020 to introduce amendments via the Miscellaneous Provisions (Local Government Reform Bill) 2020 “… in a genuine desire to bring about Local Government reform to better serve the burgesses and improve the quality of their lives.”
He noted its passage by both Houses of Parliament, “Noticeably, without Opposition support.”
Detailing how Government had undertaken the matter, Rowley said proclamation of a number of sections of the Act from November 7th, 2022, triggered an “interpretation battle opportunity.”
He noted a challenge on the issue from an ordinary activist citizen (Ravi Balgobin Maharaj) on November 15, 2022, and the defeat of that challenge all the way to the Appeal Court, which granted permission to appeal to the Privy Council.
The appeal was done on February 13, 2023 and on May 18, the Privy Council delivered judgment.
Rowley, who noted the split Privy Council views and other aspects of the ruling, added, “We see a change, not a crisis and there’s definitely no need for the mayhem, sackcloth and ashes that some desire.”
The PM said the Government must now act to rectify any shortcomings that now exist that were not there before. “I refer here specifically to the actions and workings of the Local Government for the affected period December 2022 to the date of the adverse ruling and beyond,” he said.
Rowley said the Attorney General has already engaged and described “the calming principles of settled law in the context of the de facto officer doctrine.”