As Trinidad and Tobago prepares to open a new parliamentary term this Friday, Opposition Leader Pennelope Beckles has publicly confirmed she will implement a planned rotation of the Opposition’s six appointed Senate seats, a shakeup that is widely expected to include the departure of embattled senator Janelle John-Bates.
Beckles made the announcement during a press briefing held Wednesday at her Port of Spain office on Charles Street, confirming that both the House of Representatives and the Senate will convene simultaneously tomorrow to mark the start of the new session. Under the country’s Constitution, the Opposition Leader holds the exclusive authority to appoint six members to the Senate, and Beckles framed the upcoming rotation as a regular, ongoing policy rather than a one-time move.
“From time to time, my policy will be to rotate senators,” Beckles told reporters. She declined to release the full list of incoming and outgoing appointees ahead of the official opening, noting that a formal public announcement would be delivered when parliament convenes. While Beckles did not explicitly name John-Bates, she openly acknowledged that one of the senators up for rotation is facing a pending matter before the Senate Privileges Committee and has already submitted a resignation offer.
She explained: “In making that decision, I have considered many factors, including the fact that there has been a matter before the Privileges Committee. On Friday, considering all the factors, including the fact that I do have before me an offer of resignation together with all that has transpired over the last couple of weeks or months, and my right to rotate from time to time—which is what I will be doing not just on Friday but over the coming months and years—I will be making an adjustment.”
The controversy surrounding John-Bates stems from her decision to assist former Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh in editing and reviewing his witness statement ahead of his appearance before the Public Accounts and Appropriations Committee (PAAC), which was probing the state’s process for pharmaceutical acquisition, importation, and approval. After the involvement was discovered in mid-April, PAAC chairman Jagdeo Singh adjourned the inquiry following a closed-door meeting on April 13.
The Opposition quickly removed John-Bates from her PAAC posting on April 21, replacing her with fellow Opposition Senator Vishnu Dhanpaul. The governing party ramped up pressure on the senator days later, tabling a motion on April 29 to remove her from the Joint Select Committee on National Security. On May 1, Government Senator David Nakhid filed a formal privilege motion in the Senate against John-Bates and fellow Opposition member Faris Al-Rawi over their roles in the witness memorandum submitted to PAAC.
The following day, John-Bates submitted her resignation from the Senate. No formal investigation by the Privileges Committee ever moved forward, as the entire matter lapsed when the first session of the 13th Republican Parliament dissolved on May 23.
Beckles pushed back Wednesday against critics who have accused her of dragging her feet on a final decision regarding John-Bates’ seat, framing the delay as a commitment to due process. “Whilst there are those who argued about me taking time, I understand the importance of the judicial process and of justice, natural justice in particular,” she said. “As a lawyer myself of more than 30 years, I recognise the importance of the right to be heard.”
Local news outlet The Express reached out to John-Bates by phone Wednesday to ask whether she had been formally notified of her upcoming removal from the Senate. Her only response was, “No comment at this time.”