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Opposition leader Kamla Persad Bissessar says it was one of the darkest days in the country’s history.

Mrs. Persad Bissessar was referring to the rules issued by the Speaker to guide the motion brought against the President of Republic.

Specifically, the rules stated that MPs were to just vote and leave; that there would be no debate.

The Opposition leader called Speaker Brigid Annisette George’s guidelines, illegal.

Mrs. Persad Bissessar condemned the act of muting the microphones of Opposition members in the parliament.

She is concerned that history would not have been properly recorded as they were prevented from speaking.

Mrs. Persad Bissessar said it brought her no pleasure to bring the motion.

And the Electoral College votes against the setting up of the tribunal to remove President Paula Mae Weekes.

Yesterday the Opposition’s motion to consider this failed.

Opposition representatives expressed their objections to the process and the presence of Independent Senator Charisse Seepersad.

Their mics were muted but their votes were counted.

In the end, there was a result as announced by Speaker Of the House, Brigid Annisette George.

Earlier, during the roll call, most Opposition MP’s said they were present under protest.

The motion was the result of the controversy over the appointment of a substantive Commissioner of Police.

Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley says the display in the parliament by the Opposition was disgraceful.

There were hours of contention in the parliament yesterday as the Opposition sought to pass a motion, which could have led to the removal of the country’s President Paula Mae Weekes.

The motion failed.

The vote occurred in the midst of a rowdy meeting of the Electoral College.

The government representatives remained quiet through it all, but the Opposition slammed the process and the Speaker Of the House.

After the vote Dr. Rowley said the behavior of the Opposition was shameful.

Dr. Rowley said MPs were disrespectful and attempted to provoke House Speaker Brigid Annisette George.

He said with their behavior it was clear the Opposition representatives were hoping to be ejected from the House.

But he said Mrs. Annisette George handled the situation well.

Dr. Rowley also took the members of the Opposition to task for seeking to tarnish one Independent Senator.

The Jamaat al Muslimeen is now in mourning following the death of its leader Yasin Abu Bakr.

Reports late last night said the man who staged a deadly attempt to topple the government in 1990, collapsed at his home and was taken to the St. James Medical Facility, where he died.

The time of his death has been registered as 9:30pm.

The cause of death has not yet been revealed.

The Imam celebrated his 80^th birthday last week.

Confirmation of his death came from one of his sons, Fuad Abu Bakr.

His daughter in law, former journalist Kristy Ramnarine also posted his passing on Facebook last evening.

Imam Abu Bakr has led the Jamaat since 1982.

The headquarters of the Jamaat is on #1 Mucurapo Road in Port of Spain.

It was at the center of controversy for several years, and became even more contentious when Imam Abu Bakr staged an attempted coup against the government of Arthur NR Robinson back in 1990.

The Jamaat leader organised the storming of the parliament and took hostages there and at Trinidad and Tobago Television (TTT).

In the parliament Prime Minister Robinson was beaten and shot in the right leg.

The incident led to widespread looting and fires in the capital.

Twenty-four people were killed including Member of Parliament, Leo De Vignes.

The Imam and his insurrectionists later surrendered and were taken into custody.

The cause of the small plane crash near Piarco International Airport is being investigated.

One of the 2 was injured when the plane went down yesterday.

It is reported that the flight training aircraft, experienced difficulty on approach for landing at Runway 10.

It made an emergency landing just northwest of the Piarco International Airport.

Farmer Hemraj Lakhan witnessed the accident.

He was shaken when he related the details to members of the media yesterday.

In a release yesterday the Airports Authority of Trinidad and Tobago said 2 persons were retrieved from the aircraft, the instructor and a student pilot.

The authority said the Trinidad and Tobago Fire Service, Global Medical Response of Trinidad and Tobago Police Service and the authority immediately activated emergency response and rescue procedures.

Acting Assistant Chief Fire Officer, John Harpeer was in charge of the response.

He said the 2 on board were injured.

They were transported to the Arima Medical Facility and are receiving medical attention. 

The Airports Authority said no flights have been impacted by the incident and wanted to assure the public that “operations continue as normal at the Piarco International Airport”.

Chairman of the Penal/Debe Regional Corporation Dr. Allan Sammy says even after the 2022 Fiscal Package has been laid, road issues continue to plague the community.

He said the problem existed before.

Dr. Sammy explained that more funding is needed to assist the corporation.

Dr. Sammy says the pot holes are massive in some areas and there has been severe damage to motor vehicles.

He says the corporation has been using its own money to fix the roads for residents.

Dr. Sammy says the situation needs to be rectified as soon as possible.

One Senior Counsel is of the view that a new Police Service Commissioner needs to be appointed and fast.

On Monday Opposition leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar wrote to President Paula Mae Weekes stating that she must pause the process of appointing a new PSC as she has lost moral and ethical grounds to continue the process.

Speaking with Newscenter 5 this morning Isreal Khan SC said he does not agree with the position of Mrs. Persad Bissessar.

He says there is nothing to show the President faltered in her actions.

He says if the position of top cop remains vacant, it will have negative fallout.

The Opposition leader also said that she is fortified in her view given the President’s paid newspaper advertisement in which she shockingly revealed that a Police Service Commission merit list for Commissioner of Police was sent to her but then withdrawn.

An appeal from the Prime Minister to the leader of the Opposition to withdraw the motion aimed at removing the President from office.

Dr. Keith Rowley last night said the country should be spared of what could be a taint.

Mrs. Persad Bissessar filed the motion in the parliament seeking the establishment of a tribunal to consider the conduct of her Excellency Paula Mae Weekes.

The President’s handling of the Police Service Commission’s bid to appoint a top cop has been under scrutiny over the past 2 weeks.

The controversy saw the resignation of all 4 members of the commission including the chairman.

At a political meeting in San Fernando last evening, Dr. Rowley said the Opposition has it wrong in believing there will be a debate.

Guidelines issued by the speaker of the House of Representatives yesterday said there would be no debate on the motion.

Members of the Electoral College will be allowed to vote on the motion but there will be no debate.

As he condemned Mrs. Persad Bissessar’s motion, he also posed a question to her.

On Monday night this week Mrs. Persad Bissessar assured that the motion was well submitted and there was nothing to stop its progress.

She insisted the motion is the right approach.

Police suspect suicide in the death of Maria Kathleen Smith.

Ms. Smith was reported missing days earlier.

She was found dead in Blanchisseuse.

The body of the 25-year-old was found in a car on Sunday night.

Reports say she was found inside the vehicle with a hose attached to the exhaust and the other end inside.

Ms. Smith was a resident of Chris Terrace West, Enterprise, Chaguanas.

She was reported missing on the weekend.

A postmortem has been ordered.

The COVID-19 death toll increases by 5.

The Ministry of Health says the persons were 1 elderly male, 1 elderly female and 3 middle-aged females with comorbidities

This brings the country’s tally to date to 1,605.

The latest update from the Ministry also says there are 153 additional positive cases of the virus.

There are now 4,329 active positive cases in the country.

The Ministry says there are 274 persons at hospital, while there are 3,852 persons in home self-isolation.

To date 566,810 persons are fully vaccinated.

Meanwhile, an appeal from Chief Medical Officer Dr. Roshan Parasram for persons with comorbidities to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

He says they are at risk and should take precautions against severe infection.

 Dr. Parasram was speaking at the COVID-19 media yesterday.