Well, well, well! A vote of no confidence is passed on John Jeremie, but he ent movin’.
The numbers of the vote are quite telling in themselves. Only 10% of the registered lawyers attended the meeting and even less voted, leaving 90% who just can’t be bothered with what goes on in the country. I suppose as long as the money keeps rolling in, whether from the fat Government briefs or milking the public, their bread being buttered so to speak, they just don’t care.
The motion had three items, all of which were voted on, separately, and supported by the majority of members.
- Item A "condemned in the strongest manner the reported attempts by the Honourable Senator John Jeremie to improperly and illegally interfere with criminal prosecutions for political purposes".
That was carried by a vote of 121 for / 67 against.
- Item B "condemned in the strongest manner the reported attempts by Jeremie to undermine and threaten the constitutional independence of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions".
That was carried 127 for / 59 against.
- Item C "that it (the Law Association) has absolutely no confidence in the Honourable Senator John Jeremie as Attorney General and as titular Head of the Bar of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago", was carried by a vote of 106 for / 82 against.
Even among those who voted, the higher numbers who voted for the motions carried, says a lot. John Jeremie, AG has brought his office into disrepute.
Is that enough for him to move on, resign, ride off into the sunset?
No, obviously not.
However, Suren Capildeo said if he were attorney general and this association had made this resolution, he would have resigned immediately "before the deliberations".
"I would have walked," Capildeo said.
"But he (Jeremie) is going to ignore the Law Association and continue to function, a total untenable state of affairs," Capildeo added.
[Desmond] Allum, himself a former attorney general, recalled that the last time the Law Association passed a resolution of no confidence was against then Attorney General Russell Martineau, SC, and he did tender his resignation to then Prime Minister George Chambers, who refused to accept it.
We know, having appointed Jeremie, Pa-trick will never accept his resignation.
Jeremie says that the only way to move him is to ‘silence’ him; I ought to remind of the fate of Selwyn Richardson, who was ‘silenced’ outside his home. Don't tempt fate, JJ.
So what does a vote of no confidence mean, if you can’t get rid of the person in question? It means that people’s perception of him is that he is less than honest, a busybody, interfering, unethical handpicked stooge of the Maximum Leader.
That’s only a perception though; and like a bulldog without teeth, life goes on as the population suck salt to survive.
