By NALINEE SEELAL Thursday, January 17 2008

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Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj...

Opposition Chief Whip Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj missed yesterday’s Finance Committee meeting in Parlaiment.

That meeting was hurriedly finalised on Monday and late that afternoon Opposition MPs were informed that they were required to attend.

The Finance Commitee meetings are closed to the public.

Maharaj said yesterday he was not given adequate notice of the meeting and had a legal commitment in Grenada. He was due back last night.

The report of the Finance Committee meeting will be debated in the House tomorrow.

UNC A Chaguanas West MP Jack Warner was also critical of the manner in which notices were hurriedly sent out on Monday. He said parliaments in Australia, Canada and England have planned parliamentary agendas a year in advance. He said on December 18, 2007, Canada’s parliament issued its agenda for 2008 to all MPs.

“So when Bas (Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday) goes to India, he right, he don’t know when they calling Parliament, and on Monday, I get a phone call at 3.30 pm, ‘Jack Warner, Parliament on Wednesday’,” he said.

Panday, who is in India, was the other absent Opposition MP at the Finance Committee meeting yesterday.