By Sue-Ann Wayow

FORMER prime minister MP for Port of Spain North/St Ann’s West Stuart Young calls General John Jeremie a dunce in Parliament.

Young was immediately called upon to retract his statements in the House of Representatives on Wednesday.

Jeremie was also present in the Chamber when the statement was made after Energy Minister Dr Roodal Moonilal laid in Parliament, the detailed report into the death of Allanlane Ramkissoon who suffered multiple burns at a Niquan facility and subsequently died while receiving treatment abroad.

The investigation was led by the then Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries which was headed by Young, the former minister of energy. Young did not make the report public.

In laying the report,  Dr Moonilal said the days of the culture of secrecy were over.

House Speaker Jagdeo Singh allowed one question from the Opposition in relation to the laying of the report.

Young asked, “Did independent senior counsel advise the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries, that the publication of the draft ministry report which has today been laid without the consent and comments of Niquan would equate to a breach of Niquan’s constitutionally enshrined right to equality before the law and protection of the law pursuant to Section 4B of the Constitution.”

“Would the minister so advise?” he asked before taking his seat.

Dr Moonilal replied, “On this matter, I sought and obtained  advice of the Attorney General of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and based on the advice of our Attorney General, we have laid this report in the Parliament.”

While voices were raised from both sides of the Chamber a clearly upset Young on his feet was heard saying that his question was in respect of senior counsel advice and the Constitution and “not a dunce AG!”

House Speaker Jagdeo Singh had to interject while also on his feet and while Young was being told to “sit down” from the government’s side.

Singh  said according to the Standing Orders, it did not allow for a supplementary question to which Young said his question was not supplementary but was not answered.

He was told again to sit down.

Singh assured members that he has well familiarised himself with the Standing Orders despite being relatively new to the chair.

“I fully understand what are my rights and what members are allowed or not allowed to do.”

He advised Young to pursue another avenue to get the answer he was seeking.

When Singh finished speaking, Dr Moonilal asked that Young withdraw the statement made against the AG and from the parliamentary records.

However, Singh said with all the noise coming from both sides of the Chamber he did not hear the comment and asked for the session to move on.

Member of Parliament for San Juan/Barataria Saddam Hosein stood up.

“Mr Speaker, if I may, 48(4) and 48 (6), all of us on this side heard what he said, what the honourable member said about the attorney general. Mr Speaker, the member is fully aware of what he said and he should be made to withdraw that statement from the record.”

Singh asked Young if he would like to withdraw his statement.

Young refused and the session continued on to personal explanations.