February 3, 2000
By Ria Taitt
President Robinson
A fter three weeks of back-and-forth letters and accusations, President Arthur NR Robinson yesterday conceded.
He is now ready to act on the advice of the Prime Minister and in three days, letters will be sent to Agnes Williams and Nathaniel Moore, revoking their appointments.
Jearlean John and Winston John will be appointed in their place.
But the President added in his media release that "Constitution reform is needed to take account of the special interests of the people of the island of Tobago".
The UNC caucus which met yesterday afternoon breathed a sigh of relief as the release was read at the start of the session.
But Leader of Government Business Wade Mark was still cautious, saying he was anxiously awaiting "the final arrival" of the instruments.
Government had been deprived of a legislative majority during the weeks of the impasse when the dissident senators continued to serve.
Williams took the news calmly, saying, "One chapter has ended. You move on to another chapter....Once the Constitution speaks and people do what they have to, what can you say...God bless. It was nice [being in the Senate]. But life goes on."
This time, she was notified by her leader, Hochoy Charles, of the revocation.
Charles said once he was informed, he did the right thing. "We in Tobago have very good manners and etiquette. We don't do things vaille que vaille."
Deborah Moore-Miggins was the first senator to be appointed under the coalition agreement, Charles said. That was in 1995.
She was replaced by Hugh Donaldson and then Anges Williams.
In all those appointments, the NAR leadership in Tobago was involved, he said.
Charles said the President did as much as he could to draw to the Prime Minister's attention that "the betrayal" of those arrangements had the potential for breaking up the unitary state.
Charles said he would not be communicating with the new senators. "The Prime Minister has now fired all the NAR," he said.
Questioned about Morgan Job, who contested elections on a NAR ticket and who sits in the Cabinet, Charles replied, "You trying to trap me? Griffith and Lasse there too, who they representing? ...If Panday fire the NAR and Morgan ain't leave with them, we will know Morgan is not NAR."
Tobago Affairs Minister Job is out of the country.