Election Debates Will Go Ahead In August, Says T&T Debates Commission

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad CMC – The Trinidad and Tobago Debates Commission (TTDC) says it will host two debates in August with or without Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar.

But Larry Lalla, the attorney representing Prime Minister Persad Bissessar, has accused the TTDC of being bias and incompetent, after alleging that it had gone back on an earlier commitment for the debate to take place on July 30.

However, the TTDC chairman Andrew Sabga insists that no such date had been given, and said the debates on August 20 and 27 will take place as scheduled with or without Persad Bissessar’s participation.

Opposition Leader, Dr Keith Rowley, whose People’s National Movement (PNM) is seeking to unseat the People’s Partnership administration in the September 7 poll, has already said he will not participate in the July 30 debate, as he has given his commitment to the TTDC debate in August.

The state-owned Caribbean New Media Group (CNMG) says it is prepared to host a debate on July 30, which the Prime Minister has accepted.

Sabga flanked by TTDC members told a news conference late Friday that it was always the TTDC’s intention to host two debates in August.

He insisted that the July 30 date had been proposed by the coalition People’s Partnership an amalgam of four political parties including the United National Congress (UNC), and that a letter sent to Lall on the issue had created the confusion.

Sabga said the letter stated that the TTDC has “decided” to host a debate on July 30 when the word “proposed” should have been used. He said the error was picked up after Lalla informed the media of the date. He said the letter to the PNM had the correct wording.

“It is our hope that we can move on from this July 30 date and storm in a teacup, so to speak, that has been created out of it, and move on towards a debate that will be in the public’s interest,” said Sabga.

“We are going to continue to work towards our debates, we have no intention of stepping aside, we are the only credible option before the country at this point in time, we have agreement to debate from eight of the nine parties to our criteria so we believe we are well poised to host this debate. We have no intention of stepping aside,” said Sabga.

He said it is the TTDC’s intention to secure a debate with all participants based on its criteria — they must be contesting 21 seats and they must have polled at least 12.5 per cent favourable vote in the last two national polls conducted before nomination day.

“Once there are more than two or two or more parties that qualify, that would warrant a debate, the debates will go on,” said Sabga.

“We need to appreciate the stakes are very high, this is a very heightened and very heated election, and it’s going to get more heated as time goes on, we are very sensitive to that and trying our best to remain neutral and balanced at all times” he said.

He said the TTDC would continue to strive to get all parties on board and will be writing to the Prime Minister on its confirmed August debates.

But Lall in a statement criticised the TTDC, stating that it was losing credibility with every communication they make.

“A credible debates commission would act and sound consistent, impartial and authoritative. The Chamber of Commerce’s version of a debates commission is none of those things,” he stated, insisting that it was the TTDC that fixed the July 30 date.

“Are they really so careless that they don’t double-check the correspondence, which they send to the representative of a political leader on such an important matter? If their explanation is true, that they wrote to me and stated that the 30th July date had been ‘decided’ but, wrote separately to the PNM and said the date was only ‘proposed’ then it brings their impartiality into serious question,” he stated.

“I appreciate that they are in a difficult position as there are only two possible explanations of their reversal of their decision of a 30th July date. They are either incompetent or biased. Neither explanation reflects well on them,” he continued.

Lalla said he regrets the TTDC’s “false claim” that they did not fix the July 30 date.

“I regret, too, their demonstrably false claim that in some way I broke an agreement of confidentiality. To so state is offensive and wrong. I gave no undertaking to keep the date confidential,” he said, adding “it is bizarre that they claim to be an independent body, and to be negotiating with debate participants in good faith, but yet they are now peddling dates in late August”.

Earlier Lalla had claimed that Prime Minister Persad Bissessar was unavailable for the August debates because she has a country to run.