Legal Affairs Minister Prakash Ramadhar yesterday expressed doubt that mediation efforts were possible in the current impasse between Government and the Highway Re-Route Movement (HRM). Speaking to media after the launch of the National Centre for Dispute Resolution at the Hyatt Regency yesterday, Ramadhar said mediation needed to be voluntary.
This comes less than a week after Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Dookeran, Ramadhar’s COP colleague, said he would support any mediation between Government and the HRM leader, environmentalist Dr Wayne Kublalsingh. Mediation was first suggested by religious leaders last month. However, Ramadhar said: “There were efforts to mediate by (Works and Infrastructure) Minister Rambachan and it was rejected by civil society.
“In terms of dialogue with Dr Kublalsingh, we are all open to that and I do believe that there comes a moment when across from all of the legal and other issues, that the humanity must be spoken to. “I think it is necessary now for Dr Kublalsingh and all who support him to encourage him that his battle is best fought in his longevity and not in his passing because decisions have been taken on the highway and I recognise the value of Dr Kublalsingh and I admire the conviction to what he believes.
“Nobody wants to see further harm come to Dr Kublalsingh. He is a very valuable citizen and a strong advocate for what he believes in but he cannot have things his way. There must still be an openness in dialogue to end this hunger strike. “At the end of the day a government has to take decisions and stick to it.”
About the centre
The new Centre for Dispute Resolution will provide co-ordination of mediation services as well as assist in the development of legislation for alternative dispute resolution implementation in T&T. Ramadhar said the centre would provide mediation services to government entities and ease the burden of litigation matters before the Judiciary by encouraging government bodies, as well as the general public, to use mediation to solve disputes.
Kublalsingh: We are trying for mediation
Environmental activist Dr Wayne Kublalsingh is still waiting on Government to agree to mediation to resolve the ongoing impasse with the HRM 50 days after he initiated his second hunger strike. Speaking to the T&T Guardian from his D’Abadie home yesterday afternoon, Kublalsingh said he was waiting for a response from Government while trying to conserve his energy.
For the past few days, Kublalsingh’s wife, Dr Sylvia Moodie-Kublalsingh, had said her husband’s condition remained critical and he could not speak. However, the activist said yesterday: “There are a lot of initiatives happening and a lot of calls for mediation from Project 40, Gary Aboud and Mary King. “On our end, we are trying for mediation. I assume the Government is considering it and I await a response.
“Our position is that mediation should happen.” Kublalsingh said he had not seen a doctor since his admission to the St Clair Medical Centre on October 12.