Deosaran ‘humiliated’ by Govt

Deosaran yesterday introduced to the Senate his private members motion calling on the Government to improve its handling of the crime situation.

But in an aside, Deosaran said he and the two other JSC chairmen — Mary King and Parvatee Anmolsingh-Mahabir — were grieved at the lack of support for their work by the Government to boost public accountability.

"These committees are not getting the support, in terms of a quorum, to carry out their duties on behalf of the Parliament."

Deosaran said the JSCs were already having a problem to fill their existing required quorum of four members, and now the Government has increased this number to seven persons.

"The Government walks in with its majority and instantly changes the quorum to seven. What madness is this! What offence against the Constitution is this?!"

He said the JSCs were trying to increase the accountability and transparency of bodies. Pleading to the Government, he said, "Let us do the job. Give us the resources and your presence as responsible Members of Parliament."

While the Government had invited him to chair a JSC, he now queried their attitude.

Deosaran said, "I am a university professor. I am not prepared to stand this humiliation and running up and down without a quorum. It is offensive to my reputation as a professor and as a parliamentarian.

"I have reached the limit! If this thing continues I will have to declare my position publicly as to how the Government seems to be closing the door to a fuller democracy."

Deosaran then apparently referred to remarks about parliamentary committees made by Minister of Housing, Dr Keith Rowley, who recently hit "one or two parliamentarians from time to time grandstanding for the seven o’clock news" as being "a bunch of idiots trying to outshout one another to grab the headlines."

Deosaran said, "I believe it is offensive against the Constitution Section 66A when a minister or senior members of the Government can get up in public and make strong adverse remarks against such committees."

He said that while some of the criticisms may be true, there is a way to deal with it. "There is a way for the members of the Government side to come out and play your part in answering the questions with which you disagree."

Apparently referring to Rowley’s statement that he skipped JSC meetings in order to do his ministerial work, Deosaran said, "That is delinquency."

He said he wanted parliamentarians to put aside their bows and arrows and their sharp tongues to get consensus to tackle problems like crime.