Parliament extends life of Civil Aviation board members

Black Immigrant Daily News

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The House of Representatives on Friday voted by a majority to extend the life of the board of the Civil Aviation Authority by approving the Civil Aviation (Amendment) Bill 2022, despite objections from Opposition MPs.

Attorney General Reginald Armour said it was a one-clause bill to remove a two-term limit on the tenure of board members.

An explanatory note to the bill said, “Currently, of the existing composition of the board, six members have served one previous term of office and were therefore not eligible for reappointment upon expiration of their respective terms of office in September 2022.”

Oropouche East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal, however, in reply quipped, “It’s a one-clause bill but it’s not a one-clause issue.”

He asked why Minister of Works and Transport Rohan Sinanan had not piloted the bill despite being present on the parliamentary compound. Moonilal queried the need for the extension by suggesting it could not be hard to find other suitable individuals to serve on the board with the pre-requisite qualifications such as law, finance, economics, or human resource management.

“Mr Attorney General, please indicate to us what type of person we don’t have enough of.” He said that more than 50 people were qualified to fill the board position requiring expertise in civil aviation, by being qualified as engineers, air traffic controllers or pilots.

Moonilal likened the amendment to the government’s sudden move recently to extend the life of local government members, in effect delaying next year’s elections.

Minister of Public Utilities Marvin Gonzales said there was no conspiracy and no hidden agenda behind the amendment. He claimed many people did not wish to serve on state boards owing to alleged badgering by opposition members at joint select committee (JSC) hearings.

Couva South MP Rudranath Indarsingh objected, prompting Deputy Speaker Esmond Forde to ask Gonzales to rephrase his remarks.

Gonzales said the CAA has been a beacon for the region. He said board members have not been the subject of any allegations of mismanagement or corruption, but were simply willing to serve.

Pointe-a-Pierre MP David Lee emphasised the CAA’s importance by saying it controls aerial navigation services in an area of 750,000 square miles of the eastern Caribbean, stretching halfway across the Atlantic Ocean. At busy times the CAA controls 400 flight movements per day, he said.

Lee reckoned the two-term limit was inserted to prevent nepotism, familiarisation or favouritism by board members. “We agree with the limit.”

He said the new administration of the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) should be given the chance to choose its own nominee to the board. Lee said the former People’s Partnership government had once named Neil Mohammed as CAA deputy chairman, despite him having been Lee’s PNM rival candidate in his constituency.

He urged the Government to appoint independent individuals to the CAA board, not political appointees. “The country has enough qualified individuals to be on the board.”

Point Fortin MP Kennedy Richards, an airline pilot, gave some technical details about air safety and accidents. He urged, “Now is the time for us to continue with what we know is working.”

Richards denied Lee’s claim that the CAA was investigating itself regarding a near collision between two aircraft recently, saying, “The CAA has different factions.”

Armour in his wind up listed several acts governing other public bodies which allow the reappointment of board members. These were the Occupational Safety and Health Authority Act, Regional Health Authorities, Securities Act, TTEC Act, Environmental Management Authority Act, Town and Country Planning Act, and Port Authority Act.

“Our legal precedents provide for the reappointment of members of the (CAA) board.”

The House adjourned to next Friday at 1.30 pm, private members day.

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