Speaker blanks Kamla

House Speaker Barry Sinanan yesterday turned down a request from Siparia MP Kamla Persad-Bissessar to discuss as a definite matter of urgent public importance, the decision of the Deputy of Public Prosecutions (DPP) not to prosecute Housing Minister Dr Keith Rowley for the assault of Chandresh Sharma within the precincts of Parliament. Persad-Bissessar noted that the DPP’s decision was made in the face of his expressed satisfaction that the evidential test had been met. As the Siparia MP put her case before the Parliament, her colleague Kelvin Ramnath, referring to the DPP, Geoffrey Henderson, stated, “The tribe has consolidated.” He later added, “Don’t go to the court. You have a PNM DPP. He belongs to the tribe.” Persad-Bissessar said the decision of the DPP had eroded public confidence in the criminal justice system and the rule of law and infringed on the constitutional right of the individual to equality before the law and the right to equality of treatment by a public authority.

She said the time limit for making a complaint to begin prosecution for such an offence is six months (after the matter arose). Since the matter occurred on September 15, two months had already passed, she said. Sinanan advised Persad-Bissessar to file the matter as either a motion on the adjournment or as a private motion. The Speaker also turned down a similar request from Nariva MP Harry Partap to discuss the failure of the Government to open the Biche High School. He said the children of Biche were forced to travel long distances to access secondary education. He said some students were injured recently when the bus in which they were travelling overturned. He added that many children had to leave home earlier and return late at night, because of the unreliable bus system. He said Government’s inaction was in contravention of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Children.