PM regrets assault on disabled

Prime Minister Patrick Manning yesterday expressed his regrets that a group of disabled persons protesting outside National Flour Mills (NFM) for employment had allegedly been assaulted by police/security officers.

Manning told yesterday’s Post-Cabinet Media Conference at Whitehall: “I regret that incident had taken place, that disabled persons were subjected to unusual attention.” He said he had just spoken about the matter to Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister for Social Delivery (Senator Christine Kangaloo). Describing the disabled as a very special group of persons, Manning said: “We discussed further ways to help ease the plight of the disabled.” He said that State enterprises have been employing disabled people and he promised to look for ways to further their employment. He was asked about former attorney general Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj’s threat to bring a constitutional motion to compel the Government to implement the Equal Opportunities Act which would protect the disabled.

Manning replied that the Act had not yet been proclaimed because the Government perceived it to have certain shortcomings. He said: “Some amendments must take place to the Act before it is implemented.” On another constitutional issue about the Opposition’s allegations of bias against Speaker of the House of Representatives Barry Sinanan and President of the Senate Dr Linda Baboolal Manning said: “Are you surprised by it? There’s a history to it. I’ve seen it all before.” He said he hoped the Opposition MPs would realise their responsibility to those who had elected them. Maning brushed off the Opposition’s threat to take their complaints to the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), saying: “That again is not new.  It’s standard. If they tell you ‘Good Morning’, go home and switch on your house lights.”

Manning disgreed with Siparia MP Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s suggestion that he should suspend the Board of Directors of WASA until forensic investigator Bob Lindquist had completed his probe into payments made by the company. “We have to be very careful especially when dealing with an irresponsible Opposition. The Opposition can raise spurious allegations. Let the investigation take place, we will have a report, and we will act appropriately.”