Victor Hart, chairman of T&T Transparency Institute (TTTI), has raised concerns that Prime Minister Patrick Manning was using televised addresses to the nation to represent his political interest for next week's general election.
"What is wrong is that after the election bell is rung, it means that full-page advertisements would become issues and broadcasts, such as you have, like on the nights before (Sunday and Monday), are being used at taxpayers' expense to distort democracy in the country," Hart said. Hart said that T&T should implement legislation such as in the United Kingdom to prevent the abuse of State resources to favour an incumbent government in an election.
"TTTI has viewed these two broadcasts given on Sunday and Monday night with some concern because whatever name is given to the Prime Minister's broadcast, coming as they do in the run-up to that national election, there is clearly electioneering in favour of the incumbent party with the People's National Movement (PNM)," Hart said. He said T&T should be aiming to legislate against the abuse of power from the Government to the disadvantage of the parties challenging it for succession.
Hart was responding on yesterday's CNC3 morning show programme to questions that Manning wrongfully invoked the terms of the broadcast licence, which entitled the Government to claim uninterrupted free time to deliver messages as a matter of public interest. "At this time, the electorate should be allowed to listen to the arguments from both parties and decide how to cast their vote. But the fact that it is now that the incumbent government, and as I said, all parties have done this in the past, who would influence the outcome of the elections," Hart said.
"However, it is wrong for a government to give an advantage to its party over its challengers in the run-up to a national election because that party distorts the country's democracy."