Monday, January 7 2008

Yesterday UNC A Chief Whip Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj expressed relief at Government’s announcement that it did not intend to block the UNC A’s application to have crime debated by the House of Representatives this afternoon. Information Minister Neil Parsanlal made the announcement yesterday.

“I am really relieved that the Government does not suspend the Order Paper (agenda) as it did at the Opening of Parliament, that it does not intend to repeat its conduct in suspending items on the Order Paper,” Maharaj said, referring to the recent controversy over the sudden adjournment of the House at that opening and the skipping of several items on the Order Paper.

With regard to Parsanlal’s comments that by claiming Government would try today to suspend the business of the House, Maharaj had been caught with his pants down, the Chief Whip quipped: “The criminals have left the pants of the Government down for the last seven years and so far the criminals have the Government pants down, so the issue is really whether in the debate

(today) the Government can convince the country it will prevent the criminals from having a field day in the country.”

And he added: The Opposition is going to do its duty in the highest tradition of the Parliament. Crime is a national issue; it is a serious issue and the Opposition wished it did not have to debate such an issue. Such a debate could have been avoided if Government had taken the right action.”

In response to assertions by Parsanlal that the sitting of December 17 was purely ceremonial and thus no official business was conducted, he said:

“There was a ceremonial opening but there was a sitting of the House which was normal for which the Standing Orders (House rules) provide the agenda. I hate to think he does not understand the difference between the formal opening and the agenda.”