Election Day is Monday 7 September. The announcement was made by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar in the Parliament Friday June 12 2015

STATEMENT BY THE HONOURABLE KAMLA PERSAD-BISSESSAR SC, MP PRIME MINISTER OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ON FRIDAY, JUNE 12, 2015

Mr. Speaker, as a party, we have consistently advocated for electoral finance reform. Changes are required now more than ever, and a brief evaluation of recent events makes that very clear.

Throughout our history of service, in opposition as well as government, we have called for major reforms to promote transparency, accountability and opens in politics and public life.

It has been a longstanding concern to me and something I have fought for all my political life. We must aspire to a better politics, a better national debate and a better Trinidad and Tobago.

And, more than merely recognizing the desire of citizens across Trinidad and Tobago for more transparent governance and a deepening of our democracy, we must take decisive action to ensure that it comes to pass.

While in opposition on 27th October, 2006, then Member of Parliament Ganga Singh, moved a motion on election financing, which was not taken forward by the then PNM administration.

I will read from that motion now:

SPECIAL SELECT COMMITTEE (FINANCING OF POLITICAL PARTIES)

Mr. Ganga Singh (Caroni East): Mr. Speaker, I beg to move the following Motion standing in my name:

Whereas it is acknowledged that political parties play a vital role in the functioning of democratic government;

And Whereas, there is at present no legislative framework regarding the registration of political parties or the disclosure, by political parties, of contributions made to them by individuals or corporations;

And Whereas, the financing of political parties is an issue of major public concern;

Be It Resolved that the House do appoint a special select committee to make recommendations as to what principles and systems of financing of political parties would be appropriate in the public interest.

Further, in 2009, we supported a parliamentary motion moved by Independent Senator Professor Ramesh Deosaran for the establishment of a Joint Select Committee to consider establishing a legislative framework to govern the financing of election campaigns.

On our behalf, Senator Wade Mark spoke about the need for sunlight to act as a disinfectant to tackle the dirty and dark mess of that time.

He highlighted the need to deal with misappropriation of public funds, the embezzling of funds from state-owned companies, the abuse of state resources, the use of state employee’s offices and vehicles for campaign purposes.

In 2010 in our Declaration of Principles in the PP Manifesto we stated that we would: “Promote legislation for the registration and funding of political parties subject to review by an independent body”

In 2013, another Independent Senator Helen Drayton, moved a private motion in the Senate challenging politicians to look at election campaign finances.

Most recently, our Government, in November 2014, set up a Joint Select Committee with the following terms of reference:

“To propose a legislative framework to govern the financing of election campaigns and submit its report with recommendations to both Houses of Parliament within six months of its appointment” with Mr. Wade Mark, the Speaker of the House, serving as Chairman of the committee.

So you see – with respect to this matter, I have been utterly consistent and so too has the Party.

The Joint Select Committee last met in May this year and has published a Report outlining its proposals. In their report they noted that oversight of campaign financing and disclosure of financiers were lacking and current legislation lacks accountability and transparency.

We will give due consideration to all the recommendations of the committee, including that there be limits on private contributions and regulations on permitted loans be considered for legislation.

They advocated the consideration of public campaign financing and recommended limits on spending. The recommendation that some form of regulation of third parties be considered and that parties and candidates should be required to maintain records and report on all direct and in-kind contributions, as well as all campaign expenditure during a campaign period, are all part of the system of accountably that we hope would represent the future of elections in this country.

We will look at implementing their recommendation for clearly defined disclosure rules and that the EBC be established as the political finance regulator with sanctions at its disposal.

Most importantly the Committee recommended the matter of Election Campaign Financing be considered by the next Parliament, and that their report serve as a foundation.

The next stage in this process will be consideration by the Law Reform Commission.

My focus is on emphasising and ensuring transparency, accountancy and integrity in our public life. I am proud of the record of my Party and my Government in this regard. That’s why we introduced laws on procurement in accordance with our promise. That’s why we have consistently advocated reform of electoral financing.

I have always been absolutely insistent that we will introduce the highest standards in Trinidad and Tobago’s public life. If we do not, our democracy suffers and the people who form our electorate are the losers. We must not let them down. As politicians are duty-bound do our utmost to ensure the highest standards of probity and transparency.

When Parliament returns and the Law Reform Commission reports, I give a solemn promise here today that their recommendations will be implemented within one hundred days.

In the next term, my government will circulate a Green Paper to all Stakeholders for comment. Following this very important consultative step, we will bring a Bill to Parliament.

This issue is too important to be a political football and I hope and expect that there will be cross party agreement to the implementation of new legislation.

Political parties facilitate the election of parliamentary representatives. As such, our democracy is only as strong as our political parties. We have a duty to the people and we must uphold that duty.

I am absolutely willing to submit my Party to comply with new regulations once the Commission has reported and I would expect other parties to do likewise.

I have spent my entire political life campaigning for the highest standards in public life and fighting corruption wherever it rears its ugly head. In opposition I campaigned for a cleaner politics and a more transparent government.

In government I have always sought to ensure that every person privileged to serve in government recognises that the state is the servant and not the master of our people.

I hope that the next Parliament can put party politics to one side and strive to introduce the highest standards to our political process. Openness will strengthen our democracy and promote efficiency and effectiveness in Government.

This is what the wonderful people of our nation deserve and this is what we must deliver on their behalf.

Mr. Speaker, as the Tenth Republican Parliament draws to a close, I would like to record my gratitude to you as Speaker for your sterling service as the Presiding Officer of this House and to thank you for providing the honourable members with the benefit of your counsel and guidance that has been derived from your many years of service in our parliamentary system.

I know that this year will mark your 25th straight year of service in our nation’s parliamentary system and I want to place on record my Government’s gratitude, as well as my own gratitude, for your service to our nation.

Mr. Speaker, I also want to place on record my gratitude and thanks to all of the members of the parliamentary staff who have worked so diligently to provide us with a high quality of service in respect of all of our duties as parliamentarians. Please convey our best wishes to the members of the staff of the Parliament.

Mr. Speaker, the term of office of this Parliament is one of the very few in our nation’s history that has been able to last for an entire five-year period.

This is the expectation of every citizen whenever they elect any Parliament at a general election.

My government brought amendments to the Constitution last year which required a simple majority. There were amendments to the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2014 in the Senate.

Those amendments are on the Order Paper standing in my name.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to place on record now the fact that I am not a dictator and I will not ram any amendments down the throat of this country.

I have had time to reflect over the intervening months about some of the views that were expressed by civil society groups both for and against the proposals.

Much has been said about the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2014.

This will be a second term matter and we will debate the PNM on their refusal to accept the right of recall for MPs, their refusal to accept the introduction of time limits on the office of Prime Minister, and their refusal to accept the introduction of a majority runoff election system.

The 2015 general election will be contested on the existing rules and regulations and I am serving notice that this will be an election issue over which the People’s Partnership and the PNM have clear divisions. We will go to the country on these issues.

Mr. Speaker, there has been much discussion about fixed dates for elections.

The relevant sections of the Constitution that deal with this issue require a three-quarters majority in this House and a two-thirds majority in the Senate.

Without the support of the PNM Opposition, this measure cannot be implemented.

At the PNM annual convention in November 2014, the party unveiled a ten-point plan for constitution reform.

That ten-point plan did not include any proposal for fixed dates for elections and the party is opposed to the idea.

I had absolutely no intention to waste the time of this House on a debate for such a proposal when the PNM Opposition has absolutely no intention to support the idea.

If they were interested in it, they would have put it forward as a constitution reform measure, but they are not.

I intend to bring this measure to this House in our second term when there is likely to be new leadership in the PNM after the general elections to be held later this year.

Hopefully, the new leadership of the PNM will be inclined to support our proposal for fixed dates for elections so that the measure can get the required three-quarters majority in this House.

We were opposed by the PNM when we amended the Municipal Corporations Act in 2013 to introduce proportional representation into the local government system for the election of aldermen by the votes of the people and not by the dictates of party leaders.

However, that amendment only needed a simple majority, so we were successful then.

We were opposed by the PNM when we tried to amend the Constitution in 2011 to ensure that the death penalty could be carried out once more, but yet again they denied us the three-fourths majority and so the Bill failed.

We were opposed by the PNM on our amendment to the Constitution to deliver internal self-government to Tobago.

Once more, the special majority that we needed was denied by the PNM Opposition as they continued their relentless resistance to all of our progressive measures to bring advancement and change to our society.

However, Mr. Speaker, the one thing that they could not deny us was the ability to serve out our complete term in office.

They told the electorate in 2010 that we would not last more than a few weeks in government, then that became a few months, then it became a year and after that they continued to call for early elections on a regular basis because their political strategy to remove their leader in 2010 and seek to come to power because they expected us to collapse early failed to materialize.

Their strategy backfired on them.

They got rid of their leader in 2010, but they could not get rid of us.

We have served our full term despite their best efforts to get rid of us.

We always had the trust and confidence of the people behind us and we are still here at the end of the life of this Parliament. We were elected for five years and we have served faithfully and well for those five years.

Some who were with us in the beginning are not here with us now.

That is the nature of politics.

I came to this House with clean hands and a pure heart and that has not changed and it will not change.

We have transformed the landscape of our country in five short years in a way that has not been seen for over fifty years. Mr. Speaker, one good term deserves another.

Mr. Speaker, the Opposition has tried to create panic in the society by saying that if we hold a general election in September, it would be too late to have a national budget approved.

Mr. Speaker, nothing could be further from the truth.

In 2002, the then Prime Minister waited until August 28th to advise a dissolution of Parliament after he and his party failed to elect a Speaker of the House of Representatives on two occasions when they held the reins of power after the 18-18 tie.

They could have dissolved the Parliament earlier and gone to the country, but they chose to wait.

The current Leader of the Opposition was a member of the Cabinet at that time and at no point did he or any member of that government ever lift a finger in public to argue about the time frame for the passing of a budget.

Today we are regaled with these spurious arguments when we know that their government called a general election on Monday 7th October, 2002 and they opened the Parliament on Thursday 17th October, 2002 and they went immediately into passing a budget in both Houses of Parliament before the deadline date of 31st October.

If the result of that general election had gone our way, we would have been the ones to work with the same timelines to pass a budget.

Mr. Speaker, we are nowhere near those timelines from 2002 and they should know better than to make such spurious arguments when there is more than adequate time to pass a budget if there is a general election in September.

Mr. Speaker, only the 1971-76 Parliament has ever served out its full five-year term.

This Parliament will become the second one to do so, in our parliamentary history, from the date on which it first met five years ago to the date on which it will be dissolved.

Mr. Speaker, there are similarities with the 1971-76 Parliament insofar as the date of the general election in 1971 was 24th May and so too was the election date in 2010. In 1971, Parliament met on 18th June and so too did this Parliament first meet on 18th June in 2010.

There is however, one major difference between this Parliament and the 1971-76 Parliament. On the 18th of June, 1976, the House of Representatives held a sitting at which time they approved a number of amendments to Bills brought from the Senate and transacted other parliamentary business.

After that, there was a period of eighty-seven days between the dissolution at midnight on 18th June, 1976 and the holding of the general election on Monday 13th September, 1976. Mr. Speaker, 1976 was a leap year.

Only the Member for San Fernando East in this Parliament was a Member of the House of Representatives in that 1976 Parliament and he would be aware of the sitting on that date.

My respectful view is that we should not be meeting on June 18th 2015 in spite of the precedent that was set in 1976. Accordingly, out of an abundance of caution, to ensure that there is no ambiguity about the date on which this Parliament should end its term, I have today advised His Excellency the President to dissolve Parliament at midnight on Wednesday 17th June, 2015.

Mr., Speaker the people’s Partnership Government is ready to return to the voters of Trinidad and Tobago!

We are ready because we are proud of our phenomenal record of achievement.

We are ready because the vast majority of our promises to the voters of this country has been kept.

We are ready today because TT is today a more just and safer community as it was five years ago.

We are ready to return to the voters, because every social and economic sector of this county is today performing better than it was 5 years ago.

We are ready to return to the people, because the young people in the country are once again confident and optimistic about their future.

We are ready to return to the people because our social partners and civil society report that the govt is today working and functioning far more effectively and efficiently than was the case 5 years ago.

We are ready to appeal to seniors in the country for support because they are the ones who say loudly that they have never had a more caring and responsive govt than they did during the last 5 years when the fortunes in this country were enhanced considerably.

Accordingly, the PP Govt is ready to return to the people.

Mr. Speaker, general elections in Trinidad and Tobago will held on Monday, the 7th September, 2015.

Mr. Speaker, I thank yo