Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, SC, has defended her choice of Attorney General.
On Thursday, Mrs. Persad-Bissessar was sworn in along with this country’s newest Attorney General, John Jeremie.
On her selection of Mr. Jeremie, she said, “I think he’s a brilliant person and very down to earth at the same time. I think he will make an excellent AG; of course, that’s why I chose him.”
Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar also defended her move to use the Constitution instead of a holy book to take her oath of office.
“We say here every creed and race find an equal place, and I did not want to choose one holy book as against another because we are all equal in the eyes of God. And so I took the oath on the Constitution rather than one holy book because all the holy books and all of us, it’s just one God.”
Meanwhile, Attorney General John Jeremie said he was not pleased with the legislative agenda on crime for the past decade and intends to work with the incoming Cabinet to fix this.
“The Prime Minister is again actively involved in developing the Cabinet. My Ministry is a supporting role to the Ministry of National Security in respect of crime. But whatever they wish, they would have priority because I think that that is one of the things, crime and the economy, those two things. If you don’t get a handle on that, we’re finished as a country.”
Mr. Jeremie also set out his initial plans as AG: “I’m looking at everything, and in particular I’m bothered about the fact that, as I said, I don’t want to get into details this afternoon, and I certainly don’t want to put enmity between myself and my colleagues, but the fact that a billion dollars is paid out to attorneys at a time when the rest of the society is suffering – that is something that causes me disquiet.”
He also gave an idea as to when he was approached by Mrs. Persad-Bissessar for the role of AG, noting that he’s had a working relationship with Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar for quite some time.
“It was not an offer. She asked me if I would think about coming back into public life. The answer then was no, obviously, due to private practice and other things that go with that, but here I am today to serve.”
President Christine Kangaloo hailed the appointment of Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, noting it is historic and a landmark achievement for women.
“You have now been appointed as Prime Minister for a second time; you are the only female in our country’s history to have been appointed Prime Minister and the only female to have occupied that office twice. The occasion of this, your second Prime Ministerial appointment, is significant for women.”
Mrs. Persad-Bissessar gave a sense of hope and unity, ending off her speech similarly to the election campaign trail.
“You have had Prime Ministers before me; you will have Prime Ministers after me. But guess what, you will never, ever have a Prime Minister who loves you as much as I do.”