Veteran trade unionist Caswell Franklyn expects to see more public servants taking the bold step to run for political office in the future given the recent High Court ruling regarding the unconstitutionality of prohibiting public officers from engaging in active politics.He believes there is a possibility that Parliament could move to restrict specific categories of public servants from running for political office, however.“And that is only sensible because you cannot have a permanent secretary, a commissioner of police, or the people who write speeches for ministers running for political office,” Franklyn noted. “There would have to be some clarification as the law intended from 1966, they just never put it in place,” the former Opposition senator added.Saying he was not surprised by the recent ruling by Justice Westmin James, Franklyn explained that he was also not shocked that teachers Pedro Shepherd and Alwyn Babb who were both charged last year by the Ministry of Public S
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) In a case that could be of interest to other regional jurisdictions, a Barbados High Court judge has ruled that the prohibition of public officers engaging in active p.
lJustice Westmin James gave Barbadians one of the most substantial judicial rulings in recent times and it has occurred as he is on his way back to his homeland of Trinidad and Tobago, where he has been offered a seat on the bench in the twin-island republic.The distinguished High Court Judge was only appointed in December 2022 along with Justices Wanda Blair and Anthony L. Blackman and were described by Chief Justice Sir Patterson Cheltenham as “excellent appointments” who were “seasoned in the law”.Justice James’ ruling this week that threw out as “unconstitutional” the prohibition in the state’s General Orders that barred public servants from participating in active politics, has been welcomed.Most people believe any commonsense bar on our public officers participating in politics should be imposed judiciously and should be dependent on the role of the officer and how their involvement in party politics might erode public confidence in the office holder and the offic
By Fernella Wedderburn and Emmanuel Joseph
A High Court judge has struck down a regulation that prohibited all public servants from actively participating in politics, ruling it unconstitutional.
Justice Westmin James said on Tuesday that General Order 3.18.1 is also “inconsistent” with the rights to freedom of expression and association which are enshrined in the Constitution of Barbados.
“The regulation is overly broad,
In 2022, there was a continuous trend of violent crimes in Barbados. The country recorded 43 murders, the second highest total ever. There were also increased efforts by Police and Government to combat crime. The Mia Mottley administration faced criticism for its handling of the crime situation. Many citizens felt that not enough was being done to address the problem and the necessary steps were not being taken to keep …