PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad – AS the saying goes, in party politics “all things are possible”—including, of course, success and defeat at free and fair elections and, by extension, related court rulings. Within the past two days, two opposition parties—one in Dominica, the other in Antigua and Barbuda—had to contend with this reality based on separate court decisions.
In the case involving Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerritt and his Education Minister, Peter Saint Jean, the opposition United Workers Party (UWP) suffered a political blow with the dismissal by the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court of its appeal against a ruling by High Court judge, Gertel Thomas, that they had failed to provide specific evidence against both in relation to citizenship qualifications to contest the 2009 general elections.
Not surprisingly, while Prime Minister Skerritt and his Dominica Labour Party were rejoicing over the decision by the court, former UWP leader, Ron Green — who, along with party colleague, Maynard Joseph, had challenged Judge Thomas’ ruling—were openly voicing strong disagreement with the judgment:“I want to compliment Prime Minister Skerritt,” Green sarcastically declared in a statement, “on his ability and success in hiding the truth from the court. We go to the court for justice. Justice depends on trust and when you hide the truth, it means injustice.
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