FORMER foreign affairs and Caricom minister Dr Amery Browne took his place at the head of the opposition Senate bench at the ceremonial opening of Parliament of May 23. He had previously served as Diego Martin Central MP in the last Patrick Manning administration and withdrew his nomination to vie to be PNM candidate for Diego Martin West for the April 28 general election.
Veteran attorney Darrell Allahar – who is a minister in the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) – faced off from Browne and sat as the leader of government business in the Senate.
Also manning the opposition Senate benches were three other former ministers from the previous Dr Keith Rowley administration: former local government minister Faris Al-Rawi, former youth development minister Foster Cummings and former finance minister Vishnu Dhanpaul. The two other members of the opposition bench were attorneys Janelle John-Bates and Melanie Roberts-Radgman, the latter from Tobago.
Roberts-Radgman told reporters she holds a doctor of jurisprudence (law qualification) from Harvard University, and also a graduate from Hugh Wooding Law School. "I have done quite a bit of advocacy and follow-up development on Capitol Hill in the US." She has practised law in TT and kept abreast of Tobago's autonomy debate.
John-Bates said she studied law at Warwick University, UK, after winning a TT national scholarship. She has been a prosecutor in the Attorney-General's Office and served as an assistant registrar and deputy marshall. Roberts-Ragman and John-Bates both said they were open to serve in any portfolio assigned by Beckles.
In addition to those senators previously sworn in as ministers, the government benches were also supplemented by Kenya Charles who was elected Senate vice president and attorney Brian Baig as a non-portfolio senator. Former speaker and former senator Wade Mark was elected unopposed as Senate president.
Allahar proposed the nominations of Mark and Charles, seconded by Minister in the Ministry of Housing, Senator Anil Roberts.
Other government senators were John Jeremie, SC; Kennedy Swaratsingh, Satyakama Maharaj; Leroy Baptiste; Phillip Edward Alexander; Ravi Ratiram; Dr Prakash Persad; Dr Natalie Chaitan-Maharaj; Eli Zakour; Dominic Smith; and David Nakhid.
President Christine Kangaloo appointed nine independent senators. These included returning senators attorney Anthony Vieira, SC, and engineer Deoroop Teemal.
The new independent senators were attorney Michael Simon de la Bastide, SC; economist Dr Marlene Attzs; ophthalmologist Dr Desiree Murray; employment expert Courtney Mc Nish; attorney Candice Jones-Simmons; human resource/disability trainer Alicia Lalite-Ettienne and business consultant Francis M Lewis.
Lalite-Ettienne is visually-impaired. White cane in hand, she was led from her seat by a parliamentary employee to take her oath which was read out to her to repeat.
A description of senators sent to Newsday said she holds an MBA in human resources, specialising in disability training and employment. Lalite-Etti
