Govt, Opposition prepare for Budget debate

GOVERNMENT and Opposition MPs spent considerable time over the weekend sharpening their political swords for the 2004/2005 Budget debate, which begins in the House of Representatives on Wednesday at 10 am, with Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday’s official response to the Budget. Panday yesterday declined to give any hints as to what strategy he would employ in the Lower House on Wednesday. UNC insiders said Opposition MPs Winston Dookeran and Gerald Yetming immediately set to work disseminating the Budget after Friday’s presentation and Panday’s presentation is expected to be very precise and thorough.

Sources hinted that Panday will attempt to prove Government does not have the necessary tools to implement the Budget’s objectives and force Government to show that there is no hidden political agenda where the higher energy revenues it expects to receive, are concerned. The UNC leader said the Opposition will have no formal strategy in the debate and will take its cues from the Government. Dookeran and Yetming will focus purely on matters of finance.  UNC MPs Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Dr Hamza Rafeeq, Gillian Lucky and Kelvin Ramnath are expected to focus on education, health, national security and energy respectively. Oropouche MP Dr Roodal Moonilal may tackle either labour or agriculture, while Opposition Chief Whip Ganga Singh may be the wildcard in the UNC’s deck.

The Opposition’s Budget debate strategy could be partially revealed at a UNC public meeting tonight in Freeport. Leader of Government Business, Ken Valley, said the PNM will firm up its Budget debate strategy when its parliamentary caucus meets this evening. Government officials said the Prime Minister has no public engagements before the debate and hinted that this period could be used to continue strategy sessions which began over the weekend. It is uncertain though whether Education Minister Hazel Manning and National Security Minister Martin Joseph may participate in the debate in the Lower House or join in when the debate goes to the Senate. The Budget is expected to pass in the Lower House by October 16 and the debate will shift to the Senate on October 19.