Georgetown : Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall has stated that to disregard the ruling of the Chief Justice in the 2012 budget cut case, the National Assembly would be headed down the road to anarchy.
The Minster was referring to the decision taken by the Speaker of the National Assembly Raphael Trotman yesterday, to address the issue of whether the National Assembly can cut the National Budget or not. The decision to address the issue resulted in the delay of the consideration of the Estimates and Expenditures for 2013.
The AG speaking on the National Television Network said that since the CJ’s ruling was handed down last year, there has been no legal appeal against it by any member of the Opposition. This, he pointed out, despite the fact that the ruling could have been challenged all the way to the Caribbean Court of Justice.
Nandlall stated quite clearly that since the opposition is sticking fast to their opinion that the National Assembly does have the right to cut, then they must “openly declare their disobedience of the Constitution, non-recognition of the law of the land and their de-recognition of the institutions which are ascribed certain functional responsibilities under the law and the constitution.”
The AG noted that with respect to the proposed budget cuts “no matter who rules, if it is not in their favour, they are not going to accept it”.
He observed that the Speaker now finds himself in a conundrum by “voluntarily and precariously placing himself as being a review tribunal over the Chief Justice’s ruling”.
“If the Speaker has some power to negate what the Chief Justice has said, it is a horrible misconception of our law and system. I am worried about the institutional hemorrhaging of major constitutional organs of the state,” he declared.
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