Panday’s face was advertised on copybooks in UNC colours

He was speaking on the motion filed by Opposition Senator Robin Montano which seeks to criticise Government’s use of state funds for advertisements for furthering its political agenda. Some $2.5 million spent on ads were aimed at mobilising support for the Police Reform bills last year. Abdul-Hamid joined the debate on the motion which continued in the Senate yesterday.

He described the motion as mischievious, troublesome and narrow in its political agenda. "It is a waste of good parliamentary time," he said. He said it was very difficult for the Government to support Montano’s motion because it did not trust the standards of morality of an Opposition which seemed to care about no one other than themselves. "They are obstructionists. I am confident that their intention is to undermine the system of Government and this (motion) is part of that exercise in the same way as the exercise in civil disobedience," he said. He added that there was a long list of examples of the Opposition’s lack of commitment to this country.

Abdul-Hamid asked if state funds or party funds were used to pay James Cavelle, an American who worked as a political consultant for the UNC and Panday in 2000.

Abdul-Hamid said Panday’s statement that politics had a morality of its own explained all the behaviours of the UNC and the principles that guided that party. Had the UNC suddenly realised that there were principles which had to be upheld?, he asked.

"How can you set up a Distance Learning Centre, which is a department in a ministry, and establish one of the centres on the first floor of the building that acccommodates the Member for Couva South? In Couva North, (another centre was in) a building next door to the building that houses the member for Couva North; In Arouca, (one centre was) in a building owned by one of their advisors. In Barrackpore, in a building owned and associated with the member of Parliament for that area," he said. What were the operating principles here? he wondered aloud. He said Government had to go directly to the people in its bid to win support for the legislation. He said the Opposition, which stated that it was committed to making the country ungovernable, had forced the Government to be creative.

He said as a result of the advertisements on the bills, the population understood not only need for the bills, but the role that Parliament played and the limitations which the Government faced in passing legislation to support its policy objectives.

He added that the public was also able to see that members of Parliament could use their power "constructively or destructively." And, the minister noted, once people understood this, they realised the importance of their vote and the significance of who held the reins of power.

In examining the behaviour of the UNC during the 18-18 period, Abdul-Hamid stated that contrary to the views of many people, the Constitution did contemplate and had a mechanism for dealing with a 18-18 situation since it stated that the President appoints as Prime Minister the person who is "likely" to command the support of the majority.