Sad faces in Parliament

DAYS after charges of corruption and conspiracy were laid against two former UNC ministers and prominent supporters of the party, the mood of the Opposition bench yesterday seemed sombre. There was also sadness at the death of MP Nizam Baksh’s son, Ashmead, who was kidnapped and killed. Members stood in silence of his memory for one minute. UNC MPs appeared lethargic as the House of Representatives met for its usual Friday sitting. There were no fireworks. None of the regular fire from Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday, whose jabs at House Speaker Barry Sinanan would normally punctuate the sittings.

The Parliament was also deprived of Kelvin Ramnath’s usual biting comments. He too was uncharacteristically quiet, even moving from his seat which is fairly high in the pecking order, to sit closer to the end of the front bench. Chief Whip Ganga Singh, whose good-natured banter with Government MPs is also a familiar feature, was exceptionally  reserved. There were a few sparks from him later as he piloted a motion alleging Government involvement in the discovery of cocaine in a water-tank at Sadiq Baksh’s home. But all in all, Singh was not his usual lively self. Maybe it was because the House was debating a very technical finance matter, the Venture Capital Amendment Bill, which not many understood or cared about. But even the most scientific of bills would regularly provide fodder for much political crosstalk. Perhaps UNC MPs were commiserating with their colleagues who had been charged.

Perhaps the death of Ashmead Baksh reinforced the funereal tone. Whatever it was, events of the last week had robbed MPs of their usual vigour.  Even on the PNM side, MPs seemed to have decided to stay clear of any picong. There was restraint from the PNM bench. The  silence of the Parliament was conspicuous. And so the highlight of the sitting was the tribute paid to the memory of Ashmead Baksh, son of Nizam Baksh. Baksh was not in the Parliament yesterday as all stood for a minute’s silence. Leader of Government Business Ken Valley said he did not think anyone could come to terms with death, which was extremely tragic when it occurred in the manner such as Ashmead’s. He said he empathised with Baksh because he (Valley) had four sons.  Becoming more political, Valley noted that citizens were expecting their leaders — in Government, in Opposition, in the church and in business — to set aside whatever differences they had to deal with crime. He said things were looking bright from the standpoint of the economy and it was “worth our while” to arrest crime. Valley stated that the scourge of crime was of tremendous concern to the Government.

He again appealed to all to come to the table to deal with legislation aimed at putting things in place to address the crime situation. The usually feisty Adesh Nanan came close to tears as he delivered an emotional tribute to Ashmead. Noting that he was tortured to death, Nanan said Ashmead was a “model citizen, a practising Imam” at the Barrackpore mosque. “His life revolved around family, prayers and work,” Nanan said. “On a personal note I remember brother Nizam inviting me to his Barrackpore home to fly kite with his children,” he said. Nanan’s voice cracked up as he stated: “His mother... did not know last Friday where her son was and as she prayed for his return, she did not expect his lifeless body instead. She will never hear his voice again. Ashmead was like a precious gemstone, polished by his parents for years and today this priceless gemstone is lost forever. Ashmead was loved by all.” Saying the country was sinking into an abyss, Nanan said that families had been traumatised by 49 kidnappings and 94 murders in 2004.

House Speaker Barry Sinanan said it was only on Sunday morning he spoke with Baksh who at that time did not know his son was dead. He urged members to comfort Baksh as much as they could. Sinanan, shortly after, had cause to turn down a request for the House to discuss as a definite matter of urgent public importance the death of Ashmead.  Pointe-a-Pierre MP Gillian Lucky, who made the request, stated that MPs had a duty to deal with matters which threatened the life, limb and liberty of all law-abiding citizens, including children of Members of Parliament.