{"id":871104,"date":"2025-09-07T00:13:52","date_gmt":"2025-09-07T05:13:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/09\/07\/vieira-must-be-removed-from-senate-local-news-trinidadexpress-com\/"},"modified":"2025-09-07T00:13:52","modified_gmt":"2025-09-07T05:13:52","slug":"vieira-must-be-removed-from-senate-local-news-trinidadexpress-com","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/09\/07\/vieira-must-be-removed-from-senate-local-news-trinidadexpress-com\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Vieira must be removed from Senate’ | Local News | trinidadexpress.com"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n <\/p>\n

MINISTER of Defence Wayne Sturge has called for Independent Senator Anthony Vieira to be removed from the Upper House.<\/p>\n

Sturge yesterday referred to Viei\u00adra\u2019s presence in the Senate as \u201cuntenable\u201d and questioned why he was brought back as an Indepen\u00addent Senator after serving a previous period.<\/p>\n

The minister made the remarks on his Toco\/Sangre Grande Facebook page, joining the United National Congress\u2019 (UNC) criticism of Vieira\u2019s comments that late former Independent senator Deoroop Teemal, who suddenly passed away last Sunday, had been emotionally stressed as a result of the party attacking the Independent bench.<\/p>\n

In a statement on Teemal\u2019s death on Sunday, Vieira remembered him as a man deeply rooted in service and made reference to what he said were \u201cunmeritorious\u201d and \u201cdeeply unfair\u201d attacks made against Independent sen\u00ad\u00adators, including Teemal.<\/p>\n

He said that Teemal had told him such attacks had begun to affect his health.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt pains me to say that in his final months, Deo was not well. The unmeritorious and deeply unfair attacks levelled against the Independent Bench\u2014and against him personally\u2014affected him.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe told me of the toll it was taking on his health. He spoke of high blood pressure, of the distress caused to his family by online trolling, and of how the toxicity of our political environment was weighing heavily upon him. He did not deserve that,\u201d wrote Vieira in his message of condolences.<\/p>\n

Sturge said that \u201cAnthony Vieira must be removed from the Senate\u201d.<\/p>\n

Recalling that Vieira served in the Senate from 2013 to 2015, Sturge said he was \u201cthen removed to make way for the most impartial and impactful Independent Senate Benches this country has ever seen\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy was he brought back from 2018 to now?\u201d Sturge asked.<\/p>\n

He said if Vieira serves out his term, \u201cit would be the longest anyone has ever served on that bench\u201d.<\/p>\n

Sturge went on to contend that Vieira was \u201cvery openly one sided and adds little value to that bench\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe has shown his hand so very long ago and on so many occasions,\u201d Sturge said, adding that \u201cit is mind boggling how he was brought back\u201d.<\/p>\n

Sturge further asserted that along with \u201chis comrades\u201d (Government senators) Faris Al-Rawi and Foster Cummings, Vieira\u2019s \u201cpresence in the upper chamber is untenable\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u2018Not affected<\/p>\n

In a brief telephone interview on June 29, Teemal had told the Express that he was not affected at the time by what he saw as an attempt to strategise by the Government.<\/p>\n

The controversy had stemmed from earlier remarks by UNC public relations officer Dr Kirk Meighoo about the Independent bench as the Government was preparing to go to the Senate with the Prime Minister\u2019s Pension (Amendment) Bill, 2025.<\/p>\n

The bill, which required a three-fifths majority to pass in both hou\u00adses of Parliament, including the support of four Independent senators, was passed. Teemal was one of five Independent senators who voted for the bill.<\/p>\n

Prior to debate in the Upper House, Meighoo had questioned the objectivity of an Indepen\u00addent bench appointed by President Christine Kangaloo, whom he called a \u201clong-standing and deeply embedded figure\u201d within the People\u2019s National Movement (PNM).<\/p>\n

Meighoo claimed the Upper House did not contain any truly Independent senators, asking \u201chow are the President\u2019s senators going to vote\u201d, whether \u201cas a group, as if they caucused, or of one mind\u201d.<\/p>\n

Meighoo called on \u201cthe Presi\u00addent\u2019s senators\u201d not to thwart the will of the people by stopping the pension bill.<\/p>\n

Teemal had stated that he did not take the comments as bullying.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf the Government tries to use certain strategies to build support for their bill, that is totally up to them. I would prefer to look at it as an attempt to bring attention to the matter at hand, in their way.\u201d Teemal said in June.<\/p>\n

Teemal had said he usually makes a decision on a piece of legis\u00adlation during the debate and committee process where details may come to light which he had not seen or considered.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

MINISTER of Defence Wayne Sturge has called for Independent Senator Anthony Vieira to be removed from the Upper House. Sturge yesterday referred to Viei\u00adra\u2019s presence in the Senate as \u201cuntenable\u201d and questioned why he was brought back as an Indepen\u00addent Senator after serving a previous period. The minister made the remarks on his Toco\/Sangre Grande<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":871105,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4445,146152],"tags":[9746,20236],"class_list":["post-871104","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-removed","category-vieira","tag-removed","tag-vieira"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/871104","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=871104"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/871104\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/871105"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=871104"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=871104"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=871104"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}