'INDEPEDENT' SENATORS?

 Question: what exactly is an "independent"  Senator? Webster's dictionary defines "independent" as being 'free from outside control' = 'not depending on another for livelihood or subsistence' By this definition we cannot truly say that we have any "independent" senators  -  any or all of them can be removed at a moment's notice by any President.

We have come to mean  that our 16 "independent" senators - (and yes, it is 16. One of the "independents has always served as the President of the Senate since Independence) - are really supposed to be without any political affiliation and thus are entrusted with enormous constitutional power when matters become very political. By convention, the presiding officer - the president of the Senate - is SUPPOSED to cast his vote in the event of a tie, with maintaining the status quo. indeed    , the few times that  such a vote has been cast in the Senate this has always happened, but there is no constitutional provision that it HAS to happen. Indeed, this is not the first time that an "Independent" Senator has been appointed by a PNM elected President.

I mention this because the President of the Republic has appointed as an Independent Senator  a former PNM Cabinet Minister. Clearly this particular Senator will have a bias in favour of  her (presumably) former party, assuming that she will vote with the PNM Opposition on matters that come before the Senate, this would mean that the President of the Republic has in one fell swoop managed to negate the  overwhelming mandate that the UNC Government got at the recent polls.

Do I agree with President Kangaloo's decision? No! Do I understand it? Yes.

Perhaps the best way to fix this from the UNC's point of view might be for the Constitution be changed whereby the President;s term is limited to the shorter of  either wnen there is a general election or five years,