UNC Senator: President criticised Govt

OPPOSITION Senator Carolyn Seepersad-Bachan saw President George Richards’ address to Parliament as a criticism of the Government, she told Newsday minutes after the speech.

Seepersad-Bachan said: “He addressed a lot of what we have been saying. The problem is that we have legislation but the Government is not enforcing legislation. That is a management issue, about the performance of this Government. The Government needs to get their job done.” She added that the President’s speech suggested the Government should support the Oil Revenue Stabilisation Fund. She said: “The President is a petroleum engineer and he said we must save our energy resources for future generations. I got a sense of urgency in the President’s voice, that we will be depleting our energy reserves very quickly without saving for future generations or diversifying the economy.” Seepersad-Bachan also said: “He also spoke of the anarchy that’s emerging. Ministers cannot pass the buck, because the buck stops here. The Minister of National Security cannot pass the buck for the crime situation. For kidnappings there is a need for law enforcement, not new legislation. And today where was the legislative agenda for this session? All of our bills, questions and motions from last session will now have lapsed. Of course we will refile them. The Government should have laid some bills today. After two years in office how much legislation have they brought?”

Winston Dookeran said: “The President’s speech is traditionally to enunciate the Government’s policy for the session. We have broken from that for some time. It is his own views. What caught my eye most was his comments on the breakdown of the institutions of the State, in the context of law enforcement. I myself have been talking on that issue. That was a telling statement. I’m not sure the President had any clear single message. It covered a number of different points.” Asked what he expected of the national Budget, Dookeran said: “I hope it is not electoral engineering that the Government is substituting for economic policy.”  Newsday was unable to hear the views of Leader of the Opposition, Basdeo Panday, as he left Parliament immediately after proceedings.