Ganga: No-confidence motion against Speaker

OPPOSITION Chief Whip Ganga Singh hinted that a no-confidence motion against Speaker of the House of Representatives Barry Sinanan would soon be laid in Parliament. The matter was expected to be discussed at yesterday’s UNC parliamentary caucus at Rienzi Complex, Couva. Speaking with reporters at Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday’s Charles Street office yesterday, Singh said: “I think that is just a matter of time. Referring to Couva South MP Kelvin Ramnath’s latest dare for Sinanan to suspend him, the Chief Whip described MPs’ freedom of speech in Parliament as a privilege and “they ought not to be hindered in any way.” Asked if he felt Ramnath was justified for publicly telling Sinanan “to go to hell,” Singh replied: “Justification is not a matter for me. If Mr Ramnath feels if he is being hindered in making his contribution, as a parliamentarian I cannot encumber his right to freedom of speech.”  However he differed from Ramnath, saying: “I feel that the Speaker should go to Heaven.” Singh criticised the Government for saying Opposition parliamentarians should behave themselves.

“I think that Parliament must serve its purpose. It must be a forum where the parliamentarians must be able to speak their mind because it is a fundamental right. Singh insisted that the UNC was not trying to sabotage the operations of Parliament. “The role of the Opposition is to raise relevant issues. We have been asking the relevant questions. It is the role and function of the Opposition to put the Government under scrutiny and we are doing that,” he declared. In a statement yesterday, the UNC accused both Sinanan and Senate President Dr Linda Baboolal of bias against the Opposition. The party warned that if Sinanan and Baboolal do not change their attitude, “they should not expect the cooperation of the opposition members in keeping order in the House.” The UNC also sent a copy of its statement to the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association in London.