By Sue-Ann Wayow
DISGRACEFUL, unfit and unworthy of public office.
That was how Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley described the Opposition Members of Parliament on Thursday following the motion to have President Paula-Mae Weekes removed from Office.
The motion to have a tribunal investigate the conduct of President Weekes was defeated following a vote in the Electoral College.
All the Government and Independent Senators voted against the motion while the Opposition members voted for.
The Prime Minister said he was not surprised at the Opposition’s behaviour though, as the Opposition had a culture of creating mischief in the House.
He called Thursday, “A sorry day.”
Dr Rowley held a press conference right after the sitting to discuss the events that fanned out and said the Opposition members who “made a mess of writing the motion” played the victims.
He gave a chronological order of events that led to Thursday’s parliamentary proceedings including the President in pointing out a constitutional error and he continued to defend her.
“None of this is true. It was all speculation,” Dr Rowley said.
He also said the “motion was so skimpy” because from the start, there were only accusations and no facts.
Dr Rowley said, “It is the report of the tribunal that would have separated fact from fiction.”
The motion which was filed by Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar who has maintained over the past few weeks that political interference was present in the appointment process of a Commissioner of Police involving the Police Service Commission (PolSC).
A no-confidence motion should have instead be filed against him, the Prime Minister said since it is being claimed that he met with the President and bullied her into bending to his Government’s will, he said.
Dr Rowley said he found it strange that the motion was being led by Persad-Bissessar who as a former prime minister, attorney general, government minister and senior counsel should have been well informed of the laws and Constitution of the land.
The Opposition was adamant that House Speaker Brigid Annisette-George allow for their stipulations of a debate, recusal as chair of the proceedings and to not allow Independent Senator Charisse Seepersad to vote given she is the sister of former PolSC’s chairman Bliss Seepersad.
However, the initial guidelines set by the Speaker were maintained much to the Opposition’s disapproval.
“The Speaker did not make up any guidelines,” he said adding that Annisette-George followed all constitutional procedures and also commended her for the manner in which the proceedings were handled in Parliament.
“Today they were totally disrespectful to the Speaker!” he stated.
Dr Rowley read Section 36 of the Constitution procedure of removal from Office at the press conference to emphasise his points.
Referring to the police commissioner appointment, he said if he a prime minister was not pleased at the PolSC’s selection, “All we had to do was wait until his name comes to Parliament and vote no,” and there was no need for all the events that already occurred.
He also mentioned the statement that Weekes made through the form of a public advertisement adding that he was not aware of any communication between the PolSC and the President.
Dr Rowley said the Opposition was “trying to shame Senator Seepersad” for being the sister of the former PolSC’s chairman
Independent Senator Charisse Seepersad was allowed to participate in the voting process as part of the Electoral College, again to much protest from the Opposition.
The Prime Minister reminded the public that if the motion was indeed passed in Parliament, as of Thursday, the President would have to stop all her duties.
And he also lamented that even though in the past he had good relations with members of parliament from another party, the hatred and poison being spewed from Persad-Bissessar were unbelievable.
See related stories below:
