In the latest round of verbal exchanges, United National Congress (UNC) Public Relations Officer Dr Kirk Meighoo has called reports that Independent Senator Anthony Vieira was considering legal options over his comments as “absurdly dictatorial”.
In a statement, Dr Meighoo said:
“The United National Congress (UNC) condemns Senator Anthony Vieira’s absurdly dictatorial threats of bringing its Public Relations Officer, Dr. Kirk Meighoo, before Parliament for contempt and bringing criminal proceedings against him, for calling Vieira a “disgrace to the Parliament and the President’s bench”.
“Apparently, Senator Vieira believes criticism of him to be a criminal offense.
“Vieira’s statement was made in the Trinidad and Tobago Guardian, on 2 July 2025 (“Independent Senator wants Parliament to take action against UNC PRO”), saying that Dr. Meighoo seems to be “inviting us to test the limits of Parliamentary power and privileges and I am inclined to take up his invitation… I am weighing my options, including: hauling him before the Privileges Committee for contempt of Parliament, and bringing criminal proceedings against him for breach of Section 10(b) of the House of Representatives (Powers and Privileges) Act.”
He accused Vieira of attacking free speech and the right to freedom of political expression and said his comments are “an actual and clear attempt at intimidation”.
“Senator Vieira has shown himself to be a privileged, thin-skinned, petty tyrant who believes that he must not be criticised, and that his critics must be silenced and penalised by Parliamentary and/or criminal action. Ironically, this is an actual and clear attempt at intimidation. Analysis and criticism is not.
“Other political analysts have not only agreed with the UNC’s concern about the so-called independence of senators appointed by the President, they have rubbished assertions that Senators may have been coerced or manipulated by Dr. Meighoo.
“Senator Vieira may fantasise about being a nobleman in the Court of England’s King Henry VIII or in 18 BCE ancient Rome, who can threaten citizens or subjects with punishment for daring to question him.
“However, this is the modern Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. Parliamentarians and law-makers are constantly subject to criticism — often very harsh and colourful — by citizens. He should ask his colleagues in either House.
“This is not a criminal offense, as Senator Vieira believes. It is a democratic right.”
He said the UNC has a right to criticise public servants.
“The UNC asserts its rights to criticise Senator Vieira as a public servant paid by taxpayers to make laws on behalf of the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago in the Parliament. The UNC also asserts its right to call Senator Vieira out on his conflicts of interest, which would impair his ability to exercise these functions fairly and impartially, without fear or favour, without malice or ill-will.”
He also called on Vieira to declare whether he was paid by the PNM.
“The UNC maintains its position that Anthony Vieira is unfit to sit on the Presidential bench in the Upper House due to his bias, his conflicts of interest, his open hostility to the UNC both in parliament and in media interviews, his reckless and irresponsible compromising of the perception of the impartiality of the Court of Appeal, and now his unhinged, unprofessional, and dictatorial threats to silence public criticism and freedom of speech.”
