Govt and Opposition argue over delay of anti-crime bills

Panday yesterday lambasted Government for its failure to bring the anti-crime bills to the Parliament, some 17 days after the "famous crime agreement."

Panday was speaking in the debate on the Supreme Court of Judicature Amendment Bill in the House of Representatives.

Panday said Government’s decision to debate the bill clearly demonstrated its incompetence. "We were called out today which is not a normal day for sitting (of the House of Representatives) and one expected that having regard to the problems the society is experiencing, one would have thought that Government would have brought the Police (reform) bills. Instead, they come here with two one-line amendments," he said.

Panday said what was worse was that the member who piloted the bill (Hinds) had to ask the House for extra time to prepare his contribution. At the start of the sitting, House Speaker Barry Sinanan had to suspend the Parliament for ten minutes on the request of Hinds, who said he was waiting on a document relevant to the bill.

Panday said this was why the population believed that parliamentarians were "kicksing." "Government does not care about crime. They and the criminals are one. They (members of the Government) are safe while others are being kidnapped," he said.

"Today is 17 days, since the famous crime agreement. How many more citizens must be kidnapped, raped and murdered (before Government brings the anti-crime bills to the Parliament)? " he asked.

He stated that while all this was going on, the Prime Minister was in St Vincent, trying to influence its people, "interfering in the people’s business."

At this point, Sinanan told Panday to get back to the debate at hand, but Panday was in a fighting mood. "I am saying that the PNM should come with the crime bills and no one should seek to protect them," he said. Sinanan said he hoped Panday was not insinuating that he was protecting the PNM. "It is a simple bill, let’s go on with the business (of the Parliament)," Sinanan said.

However, Hinds stated that the anti-crime bills were with "our friends opposite and we are awaiting their comment." Hinds said Panday was too "dishevelled and too disconnected from reality" to be aware of this fact.