Lee: Let good sense prevail; send to JSC

Even if Imbert, the mover of the motion to consider the bill, takes it to the committee stage, Lee told Newsday that Government would have missed an opportunity to represent public stakeholders.

“We have amendments.

Independent senators would have amendments, but we do not feel the amendments are representing the proper stakeholders.

That is where the Joint Select Committee comes in,” he said.

There would not be time in the committee stage for any debate and if a recommendation is made, he said, time will also be limited to do that.

He said that since September when in caucus with Government, Imbert had agreed to take the Bill to a JSC that would have involved Government, Opposition, Independent senators and other stakeholders.

“This FATCA issue would have finished a long time ago if Government had worked with us to go to a JSC,” he said.

“Why does Government not want to have a joint select committee? Are the opposing for opposing sake? It is mind-boggling why a simple request which is good for the country is being denied,” he said.

The Opposition, he said, will be in Parliament tomorrow but will not be debating the bill as Government has closed the debate by Imbert’s winding up.

“We had caucus and all our members were prepared to speak even if it meant that we had to go into the morning.

We felt it was important, he said.

He continued, “We also felt it ample important that the issue of crime be raised as a matter of urgency as it was important to the nation.” It was sad that the matter of urgency on crime was not approved and when Leader of the Opposition Kamla Persad-Bissessar was ejected from the House, he said, they could not stay there either as a matter of solidarity.