Two members of the Tobago Organisation of the People (TOP) came seeking relief before the High Court yesterday to have the party’s leadership conform to the constitution and they got just that. An injunction was filed in the High Court before Justice Judith Jones to stop today’s internal elections of the TOP.
Gladstone Solomon of the Hope John Dial Action Group and chairman Trevor Gardiner emerged from the Hall of Justice accompanied by attorney Om Lalla and others just after 6 pm. A pre-action protocol letter was served to the TOP executive on Friday giving it a 24-hour ultimatum to postpone the elections or face High Court action.
Solomon said, “We came seeking relief from the High Court because we felt the elections carded to take place tomorrow (today) was not in keeping with the constitution. “The proposed one-man one-vote that was being introduced while a motion may have been passed wasn’t reflected in a ratification of the constitution and we therefore felt that it was unconstitutional to proceed on that basis.”
The injunction has mandated that the TOP conform to the constitution and unless it is properly amended to one-man one-vote, then the delegate system will be used if the election is to proceed. Meanwhile, Gardiner said he was proud that he stood up for the 11,000-plus people of Tobago who voted for the TOP. “We took a stand and if we want to attract people in going forward then morality and fairplay and justice must prevail,” he said.
Lalla said now that an order was in place, the party must comply with its constitution or stop the election and reform the constitution.