The fact that an agreement is deemed to be illegal, "scandalous and irrelevant" by the Privy Council does not mean it was not made. The decision of the T&T Court of Appeal "that the alleged agreement could not found a defence" does not make it a lie.
Basdeo Panday was spot-on when he declared: "Politics has a morality of its own." In the dirty tricks to attain and retain political power, anything goes. Wheeling and dealing with bad-johns and criminals, aka community leaders, was institutionalised from the Eric Williams' regime.
In the prevailing political culture of T&T, the AG's reference to Abu Bakr's criminal notoriety cuts no ice. The Government's proclivity to smoke and mirrors may fool some of the people some of time.
What all of the people have long wanted to know, however, is whether or not a deal was struck between Bakr and Patrick Manning, and/or with his PNM agents. Demonising Bakr in self-righteous indignation presents no hard evidence either way. Bold-faced fact: there must have been a specific purpose to the Muslimeen's overzealous campaign in the marginal constituencies. Hardcore opportunist as Bakr demonstrably is, it is impossible to imagine he would have deployed his Muslimeen muscle to take care of PNM business when there was nothing prescribed for him in the victor's spoils. The guy was live, in colour, at the Balisier House post-elections celebration. On July 27, 1990, at the moment of the invasion of Parliament, some MPs were conspicuously absent, with no excuse to date. During that fateful afternoon session, one absentee MP contrived to be "embedded" at a restaurant and bar on Frederick Street. He was looking as skittish as "a cat on a hot tin roof."
Another MP was allegedly so unfazed by the criminal assault on his nation's democracy that he is reported to have yawned, "Wake me up when it's over." In the court of public opinion, the jury is still out on the issue of who had forewarning of the Muslimeen intent. That successive Prime Ministers have resisted the people's will to an enquiry appears to tell its own tale. If there is no fear of hidden skeletons, why the continuing refusal to convene a commission of enquiry? The AG is simply indulging, under cover of parliamentary privilege, in the kind of block-and-tackle machinations for which he was recalled. In light of the persecution of former CJ Sharma and the harassment of former DPP Henderson, John Jeremie seems to be the Government's legal hatchet-man.
About the Bakr affidavit, we the people demand to know the truth. Our Prime Minister must face the music like a man. Or is Patrick Manning too omnipotent a man to be cross-examined?
"Irrelevance" in the technicalities of law–out of the cerebral depth of the common man, as is legal jargon–does not translate into irrelevance within the polity. Politicians renege on electoral promises and "gentlemen's agreements," without batting an eye. Blasting Justice Narine, shooting the messenger, baffling the electorate with extracts from the Privy Council judgment, labelling Bakr a lying, arch-criminal do not fill the breach where agreements of the alleged kind "strike at the heart of our democratic system of government and merit the urgent attention of the relevant authorities."
Carl Dedier
Diamond Vale, Diego Martin