Drama in Red House - KAMLA VS GANGA

Persad-Bissessar received a historic baptism of fire at her first Parliament sitting as Opposition Leader. She was denied the right to speak by her Chief Whip, Ganga Singh; who later in the sitting resigned; and her Political Leader Winston Dookeran moved from her side, to the backbench. And it all happened within minutes after she had graciously received congratulations from members on both sides.

Persad-Bissessar, a fighter, fired back, leading a walk-out by that part of the Opposition supportive of her and slamming Singh and House Speaker, Barry Sinanan in the process. She said there was collusion between Singh, the PNM and Sinanan to breach the Standing Orders and deny Opposition Mps to the right to contribute to the debate.

Sinanan found himself right at the centre of the UNC internal squabbling, as Persad-Bissessar and Singh squared off, both on their feet demanding the right to speak.

The House was debating the Vernon Paul motion, which Singh, as the mover, also had the right to close off.

Singh raised his hand and Sinanan recognised him. But Persad-Bissessar rose protesting that he (Singh) could not be allowed to wind up the discussion because other members wanted to speak.

“Mr Speaker he cannot wind up this debate,” she challenged.

Sinanan hesitated for the moment. The PNM benches was in uproar.

Sinanan then threw the responsibility straight at Singh, allowing him to decide whether he would give way to his parliamentary colleague and leader of the Opposition. Singh exercised his right of refusal. And he compounded the insult when he began contribution, saying that his motion had only come into the Parliamentary records because of the failure of Persad-Bissessar and Caroni Central MP Hamza Rafeeq to bring a private members’ motion on the costs overruns at the Scarborough Hospital.

The statement provoked the ire of Couva South MP Kelvin Ramnath who charged: “Are we discussing a matter or the party business?” he asked loudly. “What I wasting my time here for, eh?” he fumed, packing up his things.

Persad-Bissessar also began collecting her stuff and her eight supporting MPs followed suit.

At a news conference afterward, Persad-Bissessar said the Standing Order 34 (4) was clear that the mover of a motion could reply after all other members have had an opportunity to address the House on the matter. Persad-Bissessar said before the debate began, Roodial Moonilal had indicated that he wanted to speak, both to Singh and to the Speaker. She said she slipped a note to the Speaker informing him that she wanted to contribute to the debate. Referring to statements by Dookeran that he was losing his patience, she said: “Like Dookeran, there comes a time when my patience is running out.”

She added that an amendment had been tabled yesterday and according to the Standing Orders this meant that everyone (even those who had spoken on the motion previously) now had the right to speak on the amendment and the original motion. She said it was a subversion of democracy and that the party had to consider whether it would bring a motion of no confidence against Sinanan.

Newsday understands that before the debate both Government leader, Ken Valley and former Whip, Singh had agreed that the sitting would be short and that Singh would be the only speaker. However after the Parliament began the Speaker received notes from both Moonilal and Persad-Bissessar indicating that they wished to speak. Sinanan showed both notes to Singh, who insisted that the original plan-of him speaking exclusively should remain.

Sources said that in any debate the person who first catches the Speaker’s eye is the one who is allowed to speak. On this motion, Singh was the “first person to catch the Speaker’s eye (with the raising of his hand). The Speaker therefore had no choice but to merely ask Singh if he would give way to Persad-Bissessar, since he (Sinanan) couldn’t instruct Singh to yield to her.