Opposition cries foul at attempts to gag them in Parliament

…slams Govt for lagging reports, motions

As the 72nd sitting of the National Assembly draws near, the parliamentary Opposition is expressing apprehension that there is an ongoing deliberate campaign to muzzle them.
The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) is of the view that despite the National Assembly’s order paper being called a “Private Members Sitting”, the matters on it are all Government matters sent for hearing. During a press conference on Saturday, Opposition Chief Whip Gail Teixeira was heavily critical of this situation.
She revealed that the situation has reached the point where the party has had to write a letter of complaint to the Parliament Office. She noted that a token inclusion of “Private Members Sitting” on the order paper is meaningless.

“We have written a letter to the Parliament Office, protesting that this order paper is called Private Members Sitting when the matters are all Government. It isn’t private members day, because our business hasn’t taken precedence.”
“These are all indications of authoritarianism, of muzzling the Parliamentary Opposition. And this Government in particular (does not have) a major majority. This Government is ruling with less than one per cent difference, if one puts aside the elections petition momentarily,” Teixeira told the local press.
There are a number of motions, which the PPP had plans to move. Some of these motions have, in reality, been gathering dust for months, she added. One such motion, which comes from Opposition MP Priya Manickchand, was submitted since April of this year.
In the motion, Manickchand calls for the immediate revocation of the 14 per cent Value Added Tax imposition on private education. The motion states that impact of the onerous budgetary measures has caused great consternation and anxiety for parents and students and the future of students’ rights to access education of their choice, inclusive of private education, as provided for in the Constitution.
Another emanates from MP Irfaan Ali, seeking to have a forensic audit into the Parking Meter Project conducted by the Auditor General’s Office. That motion was subsequently deferred, with sections of the media reporting that the decision was taken because the matter is sub judice (under judicial consideration and therefore prohibited from public discussion elsewhere).

ERC
Other matters in limbo include the appointment of members of the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC); a matter which has already been dealt with by the Committee on Appointments.
The Commission has been virtually dysfunctional since 2011, when then Opposition Leader Robert Corbin, has secured an injunction against the body, barring the Chairman and two Commissioners from taking any decision, recommendation or issuing any direction on behalf of the constitutional body.
“The ERC names have been sitting there since April of this year. So when we hear the different people talking about the ERC, we have finished the process (and they) have been sitting there since April of this year. Is it accidental? (Is it) coincidence? (Is it) that this Government has no interest in having the ERC appointed?” Teixeira questioned.
According to Teixeira, there are also 13 reports which are sitting on the agenda; some of which date back as far as November 2016. She described this situation as unprecedented, noting that it has never happened in the history of the National Assembly.
“You have at least four reports going back to November of last year. Then you have reports from March, April and July. So when the President says all these fine things are happening, maybe he is not being properly advised or maybe he doesn’t know.”
Teixeira noted that even the creation of the Anti-Money Laundering/Countering of Financial Terrorism (AML/CFT) authority is also languishing. She noted that the nominees to the authority have been in limbo since July.