Allahar: Senators’ remarks show anti-UNC predisposition

Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister Darrell Allahar with President Christine Kangaloo after he was sworn in at President’s House on May 22. - Photo by Faith Ayoung

LEADER of Government Business in the Senate, Darrel Allahar, accused two independent senators of statements seemingly sounding anti-UNC, speaking on the Prime Minister’s Pension (Amendment) Bill 2025 on June 30. He began by arguing the bill was not ad hominem ("to the man"), that is, aimed at a specific person.

The bill says that retroactively, anyone serving as Prime Minister as of March 10 must serve at least a year to begin to qualify for the pension which will be awarded on a tiered basis for each successive year in office. "Let us not invoke the bogeyman of ad hominem and everyone runs away," Allahar said. "Let us not 'beat up' on ad hominem." He accused Independent Senators Anthony Vieira and Candice Jones-Simmons of very strongly arguing the bill was politically motivated.

Allahar said Vieira had used the term "political impulses" and Jones-Simmons said the bill's purpose was to "address political grievances."

But he said nothing was said in the House or the Senate on the government side, or nothing cited/quoted by Vieira or Jones-Simmons, to justify those statements.

"I must register our great disappointment at those particular statements."

He urged senators to debate "real law" and not legal clichés designed to sound good and throw doubts. He said, "I ask that we don't come here with preconceived notions about government motives and political motives."

Allahar said he had a right to respond to earlier statements in the Senate.

"I am sorry to say it but in the absence of any statements coming from the government side of malice or some sort of government political motive, those statements show unfortunately a predisposition against the UNC government. I am very, very disappointed. You cannot make those statements in a vacuum."

Later on, Independent Senator Deoroop Teemal lamented certain attacks on his integrity and character as an independent senator.

"I will not let affect my thinking," he said.

"If I support the bill, I will not do so out of deference to the government, nor in line with strategy adopted by the government."

He said if he did support the bill, it would be only because it met a constitutional threshold, improved public accountability and fiscal responsibility, and supported the credibility of TT's democratic institutions. Teemal cryptically declared, "Today's majority is tomorrow's minority."

At a UNC briefing on June 29, PRO Dr Kirk Meighoo queried the independent senators and urged them to not thwart the government's will over this bill.