THE leaders of the Caribbean Community will be meeting for a special two-day summit in The Bahamas later this week, a development triggered by the September 11 terrorist attacks on the USA. But it is to be expected that the escalating crisis in governance in Trinidad and Tobago will be given the serious attention it deserves.

Perhaps in consultation with the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Basdeo Panday, both the current chairman of CARICOM, Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham of The Bahamas and the Prime Minister of St. Lucia, Kenny Anthony, who has responsibility for Governance and Justice among Community leaders, have so far avoided making any public comment on the Trinidad and Tobago political situation.

It is, however, our understanding that they and other CARICOM heads of government have been closely monitoring political developments in that member state of the Community, mindful of the implications for democratic governance in the region pertaining to the exercising of powers by the President.

The newly appointed Attorney General, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, has, in fact, now confirmed that “many CARICOM leaders have been expressing concern”, particularly about reports that efforts were being made to shift power from the Panday administration to opposition forces without recourse to a snap general election.

At the core of the concerns is that while Panday's governing United National Congress (UNC) has evidently lost its majority in the House of Assembly, following the dismissals and resignation of three former cabinet ministers, it does not mean that President ANR Robinson must bow to any demand by the forged alliance of the opposition People's National Movement (PNM) and three 'rebel' ex-ministers to form a new government, without a vote of no confidence being passed in parliament.

Advice requested
Attorney General Persad-Bissessar said that in view of the alarm some of the CARICOM leaders and officials have themselves privately expressed over manoeuvres in Port-of-Spain to have the President informally hand over the Government to the Opposition, without any formal parliamentary vote of no confidence, her government had requested legal opinions on the matter from a number of eminently qualified constitutional experts in CARICOM, including some in Trinidad and Tobago as well.

There is no precedent within CARICOM of a Prime Minister being replaced by a head of state in the absence of a successful no confidence motion in parliament, or his/her refusal to resign in the face of such a vote, or call, within a week, for fresh election.

For all his own errors of judgement in the past, President Robinson is sufficiently versed in constitutional governance, and sensitive to the dangers of opening up a veritable Pandora's box, to be influenced by the sophistry of the leaders of an opposition alliance of expediency about his discretion in the formation of a new government in the absence of a no-confidence motion against the Panday administration.

However, pressing the agenda, therefore, for their two-day meeting starting on Thursday, the CARICOM leaders must not shy away from making a firm statement on the current political/constitutional scenario in Trinidad and Tobago to enlighten the region's people on where they stand at this critical phase for Trinidad and Tobago.