Event Summary
On 24 October 2025, Prime Minister Kamla Persad‑Bissessar again publicly attacked the Law Association of Trinidad and Tobago (LATT), this time after it criticised the rushed appointment of Ronnie Boodoosingh as Chief Justice. The LATT warned that the process appeared to violate Section 102 of the Constitution, which requires the President to consult both the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition. Instead of addressing these constitutional concerns, the Prime Minister dismissed the Association’s legitimacy, referring to its leadership as “eat‑ah‑food filth” and declaring she had “no regard” for their position.
This episode directly follows an earlier incident on 7 July 2025, when the Prime Minister and her party, the United National Congress (UNC), publicly condemned the LATT for defending Independent Senators in a constitutional debate. At that time, the UNC’s press office accused the Association of hypocrisy, “anti‑democratic behaviour,” and misrepresenting the Constitution.
Taken together, these events illustrate an ongoing pattern of state hostility toward a core civil society institution fulfilling its watchdog role. Such attacks also distort public understanding of the legitimate roles of CSOs, reinforcing a perception that advocacy or accountability equals political opposition. The latest attack, framed around judicial appointments, deepens concerns that civil society actors who question governance processes face political retaliation and reputational harm, thereby weakening the enabling environment for independent oversight.