Panday: Why narrow the net?

OPPOSITION LEADER Basdeo Panday yesterday expressed grave concern about Government’s plans to reportedly narrow the net of persons required to declare their assets to the Integrity Commission.

On Tuesday night, the Senate approved the prescribed forms and regulations to effect the Integrity in Public Life Act 2000 and a joint select parliamentary committee report to amend the Act for declarations to be made retroactively to the year 1999. At yesterday’s post-Cabinet news conference at Whitehall, Prime Minister Patrick Manning said Government would support approval of the forms and regulations when they are laid in Parliament today and amendments to the Integrity Act, in keeping with the decision of the Senate.

However, Manning hinted that the net of persons required to declare their assets could be narrowed. “I don’t know what they are intending to do,” Panday told Newsday yesterday. The UNC leader said while he was happy that the PNM was widening the net in one sense, he was “unhappy to hear that they (PNM) want to narrow the net as well.” However, Panday said he preferred to reserve judgment until the Government plays its hand in Parliament today. He maintained that the reason why the PNM was delaying parliamentary approval of the integrity forms was because PNM members and persons closely aligned to the ruling party were engaged in corrupt activities during the period 2002 to 2003.

Several chairmen and board members of State enterprises have reportedly said they would resign if they have to publicly declare their assets. On the current fishing dispute between Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados, Panday said “any competent Government” would have settled the matter already. He recalled that under the UNC, two joint commissions were set up to resolve fishing problems between TT, Barbados and Venezuela. Panday said because of the work of these commissions, there are no fishing problems between TT and Venezuela.