Speaker’s vote breaks 14-14 deadlock

DEPUTY House Speaker Hedwidge Bereaux had to use his casting vote yesterday to save Government from being defeated on the simple issue of the one-week deferral of two questions, one written and the other for oral answer.

The questions, from UNC Caroni East MP Ganga Singh, dealt with whether any legal matters were settled by WASA between December 2001 and January 2003, and the monthly expenditure and revenue for the same period. At the start of the session, Acting Leader of Government Business Colm Imbert announced that the questions would be deferred for one week. However Singh argued that his questions had been on the Order Paper for over three weeks and had been continuously deferred. Deputy Speaker Bereaux put the question to the members for the one week deferral and got a resounding “no” from the Opposition benches with “ayes” from the Government benches.

The Opposition called for a division and at the end of the tally there was a 14-14 result. Bereaux used his casting vote to “maintain the status quo”, a comment which drew laughter from the Opposition MPs. Moments later UNC MP Winston Dookeran walked in followed by PNM MP Diane Seukeran. But before the House could get down to the business of debating the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic (Amendment) Regulations 2003, Leader of Govern-ment Business, Kenneth Valley, who arrived late for the sitting, requested a five-minute break to consult with his colleagues. Bereaux suspended the sitting for ten minutes.

Pointe-a-Pierre MP Gillian Lucky, in her contribution to the debate which eventually got going, spoke about the legal implications of the Act. She said in typical fashion Government had not held consultations on the Act. She said Govern-ment was acting on the mistaken belief that stiffer penalties would make enforcement easier, but resources had to be made available to the police to ensure compliance. Referring to the Minister of Works, Franklyn Khan’s claim that magistrates were reluctant to prosecute because there were no specific offences under specific regulations, Lucky said magistrates who were already traumatised by their impending move to Trinidad House, will be further traumatised by having to decide on two competing penalties. She said serious problems would be caused if the regulations were affirmed.

Lucky urged Khan to find a justification for the Act and not treat the Opposition the way Government has been treating the Chief Justice and Caroni workers. Lucky also warned government to not only look at the “integrity of vehicles” but at the “integrity” of the persons who drive them. She referred to Khan’s decision to give a PBR pass to Jamaat-al-Muslimeen leader Yasin Abu Bakr, saying public opinion was that the decision was not a good one.