Take it outside Parliament

DECLARING that the Opposition was undertaking a subversive campaign to discredit Government MPs, Planning and Development Minister Camille Robinson-Regis dared any UNC MP to prove her wrong by repeating the allegations made against Housing Minister Dr Keith Rowley outside of Parliament. During Thursday’s Budget debate, Opposition Chief Whip Ganga Singh claimed Rowley was syphoning off labour and materials from the Scarborough Regional Hospital Project to a private sector land development project he was undertaking in Mason Hall, Tobago. During yesterday’s Budget debate in Parliament, Robinson-Regis said, “In every single portfolio, this Government has performed for the benefit of the people of Trinidad and Tobago. In those circumstances, we can understand the desperation that exists on the other side.

We can understand the circumstances where we have an over $27 billion Budget that for almost 75 minutes the Member for Caroni East could find nothing to say about this Budget but to pillory the Member for Diego Martin West.” She said the UNC employed a similar tactic in the last Budget debate, regarding Works Minister Franklin Khan’s house in Maraval. “What is the problem on that side with people on this side doing what they see as something to advance themselves? It is very difficult to understand the information that is coming forward in spurious circumstances. I would suggest in circumstances where they have documentary evidence, they should be outside the Parliament. Don’t use the cover of Parliament to bring spurious allegations. You have documents, take it outside the Parliament.

We are waiting to see which one of them will go outside the Parliament and make those allegations!” Robinson-Regis declared. Rowley said he was innocent of the charges against him and Prime Minister Patrick Manning promised a thorough investigation would be made into the matter.  During yesterday’s Budget debate, Attorney General John Jeremie met separately with Manning and Rowley. Robinson-Regis slammed Opposi-tion Leader Basdeo Panday and St Augustine MP Winston Dookeran for misleading the population about the real reasons for TT’s decline in the 2002 Global Competitiveness Index,  alleged corruption in the InnCogen deal, Desalination Plant and the Piarco Airport Project. “Facts are stubborn things. The truth will always win out,” Robinson-Regis declared.