In Brief
- A concerning trend: On several major bills, including the Special Operations Bill, the majority of Independent Senators have voted alongside the PNM Opposition against the Government.
- Political context: The current Independent Senators were appointed by President Christine Kangaloo, a former PNM minister, which makes their repeated alignment with the PNM harder to ignore.
- Respecting the mandate: Persistent opposition in the Senate makes it an uphill battle for Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s Government to deliver on the mandate given by the electorate.
The passage of the Special Operations Bill has sharpened a question I have been asking for some time: when the major votes come, how often do the Independent Senators actually support the Government?
The record is troubling. On the Special Operations Bill, all nine Independent Senators voted against the measure, alongside all six PNM Opposition Senators. The Government’s 15 votes were tied by those 15 votes against, and the bill passed only after Senate President Wade Mark used his casting vote.
This was not an isolated division. On the Trinidad and Tobago Revenue Authority Repeal Bill, seven Independents voted against the Government with the PNM, while two abstained. On the Citizenship Amendment Bill, seven Independents again voted with the PNM against the Government; one abstained and one supported the bill. On the Zones of Special Operations Bill, eight Independents voted against the Government alongside all six Opposition Senators, while one abstained.
Across these four major, contested bills, mostly or, in the case of the Special Operations Bill, all of the Independent Senators voted the same way as the PNM Opposition. That is a significant pattern. It may be defended as independent judgement on each bill, but the public is entitled to ask why the Government so often faces a united bloc of six PNM Senators and a majority of the nine Independents.
The appointments also form part of the public context. President Christine Kangaloo appointed the nine Independent Senators in May 2025. Her own parliamentary record shows that she previously served as a PNM Opposition Senator, PNM minister, and PNM Member of Parliament. That history does not prove that she appointed the Independent Senators to advance the PNM’s interests, and I make no such allegation. But it inevitably makes the appearance of repeated alignment with the PNM more difficult to dismiss.
To be fair, the Independents have not opposed every Government bill. Four supported the Government on the Prime Minister’s Pension Amendment Bill, and eight supported the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic Amendment Bill. No Independent Senator voted against the Administration of Justice Bill as amended.
But those votes do not erase the pattern on the four high-profile bills listed above. The question is not whether an Independent Senator must support the Government. Of course not. The question is whether the bench is applying its judgement consistently, or whether, on the most politically consequential measures, it has become a dependable partner of the PNM Opposition.
Independence must be shown through decisions, not titles. When most of the Independent Bench repeatedly votes alongside one political side against the elected Government, confidence in that independence will inevitably be questioned. The Senators owe the public clear explanations of their decisions, and the public is entitled to judge the pattern for itself.
The Government, led by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, is working to govern and move our country in a better direction. As a Member of Parliament, I support that effort. Yet, when proposals to curb crime and strengthen oversight are repeatedly opposed, it becomes an uphill battle to deliver the change people voted for. The people gave the Prime Minister a resounding majority in the House of Representatives, and we have a duty to respect their mandate. Persistent opposition to these measures makes it harder for us to represent our constituents and give effect to the voice of the people.
Neil Gosine is the Member of Parliament for Chaguanas West and the Parliamentary Secretary at the Ministry of Trade, Investment and Tourism
