Larry Achong back in Parliament

The return of Point Fortin MP Larry Achong to the Parliament yesterday, for the first time since his resignation as Minister, was not without significance. When the Parliament was called to order at 1.30 pm there was no quorum. The House of Representatives, which  needs to have at least 12 members to begin any sitting, had just half of this number when the sergeant-at-arms led in Deputy Speaker Hedwige Bereaux. Most of the MPs were caught in the tremendous traffic jam in Port-of-Spain. There was a shut down of the streets around the building because of a bomb scare at Police Headquarters.

Among those present in the chamber were Prime Minister Patrick Manning who is lucky enough to have outriders and was therefore unaffected by the traffic. The Parliament therefore waited for a quorum. And it just so happened that the twelfth person to walk in and set the democratic process in motion, was none other than Achong. “Welcome to the Pavillon!” UNC MP Roodal Moonilal barked. Manning rose from his seat and walked across to Achong, whose seat is now at the other end, and shook his hand. Opposition Chief Whip Ganga Singh walked across and spoke to Achong for a while. Many other MPs followed, greeting the MP with either a handshake or a smile. The sitting began at 1.45 pm shortly after Achong had settled in.