Senate to debate ‘no confidence’ motion against Senate President

The no-confidence motion filed against  Senate President Linda Baboolal by UNC Senator Robin Montano will be debated on Tuesday when the Senate meets.

Baboolal told Newsday that she would not be President during the session in which the motion, which accuses her of bringing the Senate into disrepute,  is being discussed. Instead Vice-President Rawle Titus will occupy the chair during the debate. However, the President said she would probably be in her office, listening intently to the debate.

The motion states that the Senate President, by her rulings, conduct and utterances, both in and out of the Honourable Senate, “has demonstrated unequivocally her bias in favour of the PNM Government and her lack of independence and/or understanding of the nature and role of the Office of the President of the Senate”. It also alleges that as a consequence of this, Baboolal has “stifled and/or stymied the freedom of debate guaranteed by the Constitution in the Honourable Senate”. It states further that by such rulings, conduct and utterances, Baboolal has brought the Honourable Senate into disrepute.

It was filed two weeks ago, shortly after Montano stormed out of the Parliament, and immediately after Baboolal gave a tough talk to MPs on parliamentary procedure and behaviour. Because private motions are filed and  debated according to a chronological order, the motion was not due for debate until after Senator Ken Ramchand’s motion on Constitution Reform.

In fact it probably would have taken a month or two before it was discussed. But on the intervention of the President Senator Montano’s motion was able to jump the queue and to be debated immediately. “I did not want it remaining on the Order Paper (for too long). I spoke with Professor Ken Ramchand and he gave way,” Baboolal said. She added: “I want them to come and say what they have to say”. She added: “They say that I have brought the Senate into disrepute, I want to hear what I was supposed to have done. It should be an interesting debate. I am looking forward to it.” Stressing that she has run the Senate without reference to party, Baboolal said she was therefore very anxious to hear what they have to say to impute her character, integrity and her discharge of her duties.

A UNC Senator told Newsday that all six senators would be speaking during this debate. “We have all been victims of her ruling,” the senator said. It is also understood that the Independents will be making a contribution. The motion asks the Senate to declare that it has lost confidence in the President of the Senate, Dr Linda Baboolal. If the majority of the Senate votes in favour of it, the convention is that the President must resign. However, according to sources, the motion is unlikely to get the support of the Independent senators. Nevertheless it is noteworthy that Baboolal’s decision not to sit in the Chair would deprive the Government of a vote. This would leave 14 government senators against nine Independents and six Opposition — a combined strength of 15.

The sitting would also see a number of interesting questions. Energy Minister Eric Williams is being asked to state the salary, perquisites and various allowances being received by the Executive Chairman of Petrotrin and the former President/Managing Director of Petrotrin. In both instances it involves the same person, Malcolm Jones. Minister of Public Administration Dr Lenny Saith is being asked to give the qualifications of the investigators used to gather information for the relocating of the Parliament. He also has been requested by Ramchand to state when the investigations began and ended and the argument by the investigators which led to the recommendation that there is need to construct a new Parliament building.