Parliamentary Digest

IT BEING the Friday before Trinidad and Tobago’s debut in the World Cup, it was a sure bet that no one would really be taking on any of the MPs speaking in the Lower House. And, sure enough, most of the speakers that afternoon had little substance to their contributions — or, more precisely, even less substance than usual.

La Brea MP Hedwige Bereaux was in the chair in his role as Deputy Speaker. After the opening, which asserts that Parliament is held “for the advancement of Your glory”, a petition from some constituents in Nariva, presented by Opposition MP Harry Partap, was read out by the clerk of the House, asking for the Biche High School to be re-opened. The presentation of petitions has become a weekly ritual for the Opposition, intended to show that they are working for their constituents. That the clerk, in reading the document from “your humble petitioners”, pronounced the adjective as “umble” was therefore appropriate, since “umbles” is an Old English term for offal.

National Security Minister Martin Joseph then rose to make a statement about the already-publicly announced 555 Anti-Crime Initiative. It was, he announced, “the basis for a dynamic partnership between the public and law enforcement and protective services” — an assertion which would have been greeted by cynical steups by those who had seen news photos of three SRPs in San Fernando kicking up a suspect and those who had heard on radio a mother from Carenage telling how police officers had slapped up her 17-year-old son and made him run several miles on no basis but intimidation. And, perhaps trying to ride on the wave of World Cup fever, Joseph also informed the House that the 555 plan would get information on criminal activity, not from citizens seeking monetary rewards, but on the basis of patriotism.

If this is so, then it seems that there are going to be some telephone operators in the Police Service with ample time to meditate on the meaning of life. The House then resumed its debate from the May 12 session, on a motion to approve the Election and Boundaries Commission’s Local Government Order, which lays out the number of polling stations for various districts. Works Minister Colm Imbert was the Member to finish off his contribution. Imbert’s main point was that the Municipal and Corporation Act allowed the extension of the terms of councillors, so the accusations by Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar that the Government was trying to control municipal corporations was misleading. “So, once again, the Member for Siparia was giving us bad legal advice,” Imbert said. “Once again, engaging in rumour-mongering, in rabble rousing — simply not speaking the truth.”

Fyzabad MP Chandresh Sharma spoke next. “It is clear that my good friend, the Member for Diego Martin East, really had nothing to say, and took half an hour to say it.” Sharma called for a new system governing what Members said in Parliament. “It is not a requirement for Members to speak for 75 minutes and say nothing. Worse than that, there’s no requirement for a Minister to come here and mislead the House.” He seemed to be implying that he wanted such requirements but, given his past testimony in the infamous teacup incident, Sharma hardly needs them.

Sharma then went through some recommendations for re-organising Local Government. But his foundations did not seem too firm. “Local government has been with us for many, many hundreds of years, in countries outside Trinidad, from which we borrow their learnings. From places like Africa, and India, and China.” Since Local Government is a British invention, however, Sharma was only displaying ideological ignorance.

Nonetheless, Prime Minister Patrick Manning seemed to take Sharma seriously, rising several times to make comments and ask questions. And this honeyed approach was certainly effective, with Sharma saying he was sure that Manning only wanted the best for the people, and even telling him at one point, “I want to remind you, you are my Prime Minister.”

Nariva MP Harry Partap spoke after. “We do not often believe the Honourable Minister,” he began, and then spent most of his time flinging around impractical suggestions and wild accusations.

Partap’s reliability, however, can be judged by the fact that most of his contribution dealt with the number of polling stations in various divisions: too little for some areas, too many for others.

The EBC, however, has explained for years that these numbers are calculated by population density relative to geographical area.

But this logic never fazed Partap.