In todays Trinidad Guardian Moonilal on reform legislation: PNM missed boat to raise questions The Opposition People’s National Movement (PNM) missed two opportunities at Monday’s parliamentary session launch to query the holding of Parliament sessions this month and also to ask questions about the constitutional reform legislation to be debated next week, says People’s Partnership (PP) House Leader Roodal Moonilal. “(PNM leader) Dr (Keith) Rowley was apparently asleep when those two opportunities—both prescribed in the Standing Orders—arose in Monday’s parliamentary session so the Opposition therefore missed the boat on both issues,” Moonilal said. He was commenting after PNM PRO Faris Al-Rawi said the Government had breached the Parliament’s new Standing Orders to hold sessions now to debate the legislation. One session will be held next Monday. Al-Rawi said the Standing Orders provided for a fixed recess unless Parliament has exceptional, urgent business and the Speaker should have given certification of the exceptional business to be considered but failed to do so. On what the PNM might do and whether it might legally challenge the move, Al-Rawi said yesterday it would examine all options, since there was no way the Parliament could debate something in breach of the Standing Orders. He said the PNM had given notice by raising it in the public domain. [ Click the link to read this article in full guardian.co.tt/news/2014-08-06/moonilal-reform-legislation-pnm-missed-boat-raise-questions ]
Posted on: Wed, 06 Aug 2014 13:40:00 +0000