00:00As the Zones of Special Operations bill was being piloted in the upper house, Prime Minister Kamala Passat-Bissasa launched a scathing critique of the independent bench.
00:11She said she was not surprised that independent senators failed to support the legislation, arguing they were not truly independent, but appointed by a president she described as a low-level PNM functionary.
00:25In response to questions from the Trinidad Express, the Prime Minister went further, accusing some independents of lacking the courage to face the electorate and using the Senate for self-promotion and personal advancement.
00:39Those comments drew swift backlash from both the independents and the opposition, who accused the Prime Minister of attempting to bully senators into supporting the legislation.
00:50When the bill ultimately failed, falling four votes short of the required special majority, Passat-Bissasa again said she was not surprised and alleged that two independent senators had attempted to trade their votes for personal favors.
01:06Pressure then mounted on the Prime Minister to name the senators, with calls coming from several groups, including the Law Association.
01:14Today, two senators filed separate motions of privilege.
01:17Opposition Senator Dr. Imri Brown, writing to the Senate President on February 2nd, accused the Prime Minister of making what he described as serious, reckless and unsubstantiated allegations against the independent bench, bringing the Senate and the Parliament into disrepute.
01:36He referenced what he described as Passat-Bissasa's scathing public attack on the independent bench and a public accusation that two independent senators approached a senior government official, seeking personal favors in exchange for their support.
01:51Brown said it was a quote-unquote gross contempt of Parliament and a breach of privilege for any person to attempt to compel senators by force to vote for or against any proposition before the Senate.
02:05He stressed that members ought to vote according to their conscience and that it constitutes a breach of privilege for a member to make accusations of serious wrongdoing against other parliamentarians without bringing a substantive motion or submitting the matter to the appropriate authorities.
02:23Brown said based on five points, the PM breached her privilege.
02:27Meanwhile, Independent Senator Anthony Vieira, senior counsel, based his motion on the Prime Minister's claim that two independents sought favors in exchange for their votes.
02:38He described the allegation as grave and dangerous, saying it amounted to an accusation of bribery or corrupt inducement, even though no names were provided.
02:48And though no senators have been named, he said the allegation is explicit and has been widely disseminated locally and internationally, leading to an avalanche of public commentary.
03:00Vieira warned that the claim had fueled widespread speculation, casting a cloud of suspicion over the entire independent bench.
03:09He said, quote,
03:10The suggestion that a senator might be prepared to trade or sell his or her vote for personal favors is odious and repugnant.
03:19Vieira added, if the allegation were true, it should have been reported to the relevant authorities.
03:24And if untrue, it must be corrected to protect the integrity of the Senate.
03:29But since that was not done and the unparticularized allegation has been allowed to circulate publicly, a continuing stain, he says, now rests on the independent bench and by extension on the Senate as an institution.
03:45Both matters were ultimately denied.
03:48I have since studied board submissions carefully, and I am convinced that neither submission meets the threshold to be raised as a matter of privilege.
04:07I so rule.
04:09Arvashi Tawari Rupnarain, TV6 News.
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