GEISHA Alonzo
Vindication.
This was how Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar described yesterday’s decision by Justice Frank Seepersad in High Court in San Fernando to grant another interim injunction against the Commissioner of Valuations from receiving completed valuation return forms from the public.
The injunction effectively blocks the State from receiving the forms and supporting documents which Government had mandated citizens to submit to the commissioner until the extended deadline of June 2.
In commenting on the decision, Persad-Bissessar, who spoke at a press conference at the Opposition’s office at Charles Street, Port-of-Spain, said, “The court, in its reasons, found that the Government was blowing hot and cold on the issue of whether the exercise was a purely voluntary one.
“The judgment vindicates the position we have taken all along in this matter. We see this as an attempt by the Government to deceive, trick and hoodwink citizens into sharing their personal information with the Government in circumstances where they feel they have no choice except to comply with the Government’s demands or else they could face criminal prosecution.”
On forms previously submitted, she said they should be deemed null and void as they had no legal bearing in the court.
Calling on Government to again rethink its position on the property tax, Persad-Bissessar said Finance Minister Colm Imbert had taken the position that the stay imposed by the court on the last occasion was open to interpretation and still felt the public could send in the documents.
On the issue of energy, she congratulated bpTT on the success in its two exploration wells, Savannah and Macadamia, saying this was as a result of initiatives placed by the former People’s Partnership administration.
“During the tenure of the PP administration it was realised that companies like bpTT needed to be incentivised to drill and explore for natural gas.
“The incentives were necessary to increase levels of drilling for natural gas, given declining reserves and levels of production,” Persad-Bissessar said.
Addressing the decision on his return from Chile last evening, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley said: “The Government of Trinidad and Tobago will act based on sound legal advice and with respect to the Constitution and the law. And I made a comment in the Parliament recently that we in the Cabinet are the executive of the country and we maintain a wall between what we are supposed to do and what other arms of the state are supposed to do.”
He said Government will “respect what goes on in the courts,” but added: “I find it very difficult to swallow that ministers of a previous government could have managed a law in a particular way, not to the benefit of the people of Trinidad and Tobago, and when they get put out of executive authority those same persons could see the court as their playground, to the disadvantage of the people of Trinidad and Tobago. I think I can make that comment and I stand by that comment.”
He also said they would carry their point of view to the highest court of the land if they have to.
