By Sue-Ann Wayow
PRIME Minister Dr Keith Rowley cannot instruct Leader of Government Business in the House of Representatives Camille Robinson-Regis to summon Parliament during its legal break.
And if she issued a directive to Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar to attend a Parliamentary session on July 19, Persad-Bissessar declares she will not be going.
The United National Congress (UNC) political leader said on Friday during a press conference at her constituency office in Siparia that the situation regarding the exemption of the procurement law for goods and services for a period of three months was “another example of law-breaking.”
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Holding up a copy of the Standing Orders and the Constitution, she said “This is the law made pursuant to the Constitution.”
She said, “If Camille sends me a notice to come to the Parliament. I am not going. She has no power to summon a sitting of the House of Representatives.”
Persad-Bissessar was referring to statements made by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley on Thursday night during a political meeting at Hillview College in Tunapuna where he said, “Today, I have directed the Leader of Government Business to recall the Parliament on Wednesday of next week.”
She said, “There is only one person who can make that decision to summon parliamentarians back to Parliament during a fixed recess and this is under Standing Order 13 of the House extraordinary sitting.”
Reading from the Standing Order she said the directive must come from the Clerk of the House which shall be in writing and signed by the House Speaker mentioning the business to be discussed in that particular sitting.
Persad-Bissessar maintained that the government has consistently acted illegally and this time was no different.
“The Prime Minister cannot instruct that the Leader of Government Business (to) recall the Parliament at a time when we are in a recess,” she said.
“We see again this high-handed dictatorial approach of breach of this separation of powers in what the Prime Minister is instructing Ms Robinson Regis to do.”
Referring to the Standing Orders, Persad-Bissessar said it was very clear that from the first week in July to the first week in September, “the Parliament is in what is called a fixed recess.”
Coupled with that was the upcoming local government election, she said.
Persad-Bissessar said while she was not entirely sure what the meeting in Parliament will be about, one “is to clean up the mess that they made in having the Minister of Finance issue those two legal notices.”
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“We caught them in a sense with their hands in the cookie jar,” Persad-Bissessar said.
She thanked the Member of Parliament for Barataria/San Juan Saddam Hosein and other attorneys for their legal diligence in bringing the matter to light.
The Opposition Leader is anxiously awaiting the responses to the pre-action letters sent to Finance Minister Colm Imbert and Attorney General Reginald Armour who has a deadline of 4 pm on Monday to respond to matters concerning Legal Notice No. 206 of 2023 and Notice No. 164 of 2023.
