PRIME Minister Moses Nagamootoo’s effort to have a debate on the report for the long-awaited Public Procurement Commission (PPC) was blocked Thursday in the National Assembly by Opposition members who felt that it was “ill-timed.”The Public Accounts Committee of the National Assembly, which is tasked with deciding nominees for the procurement commission, had asked for a report of the PPC-related meetings to be tabled in the National Assembly.
Prime Minister Nagamootoo, recognising the report named on the agenda, opted to move a motion for it to be debated.
The PM’s motion would have suspended the requirement for a one-day notice on such motions for debate, allowing the debate to proceed.
Opposition Chief Whip, Gail Teixeira, took to the floor to challenge the Prime Minister’s intention to move for a debate on a day designated for Opposition members’ business.
Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr Barton Scotland, acknowledged that there was a request for the report to be tabled at Thursday’s sitting of the National Assembly.
Noting that he did enquire as to the urgency of having the report tabled on the day in question, Dr Scotland said:
“The answer I was given was that the question from the Committee is that it should be done today.”
Public Accounts Committee Chairman, Irfaan Ali, an Opposition PPP MP, subsequently took to the floor to confirm that the Committee did ask for the report to be tabled, which was done.
“What we’re not aware of is the suspension motion from the Prime Minister to proceed with the debate,” Ali said.
At this point, the Speaker interjected, saying that there will be another sitting before the Assembly goes into recess, which would allow ample time for a debate on the PPC.
As such, he called on the Prime Minister to consider his suggestion. But the PM countered, saying:
“Standing Orders provide motion could be moved to proceed with matters that require a day’s notice… the motion having been laid and having been placed on the Order Paper for today’s sitting is invoking the rules of the House to suspend the one-day notice required.”
That said, he asked for his motion for suspension to be allowed, since there were “no contraventions of the rules of the House.”
Social Protection Minister Volda Lawrence then took to the floor to suggest that the debate on the procurement commission be moved to the next sitting of the House, a position which ran counter to that of the Prime Minister.
But, gentleman that he is, the PM accepted Lawrence’s suggestion and proceeded to propose that the motion be debated instead, and voted on, at tomorrow’s sitting of the House.
And while the Speaker was inclined to also consider Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman’s suggestion, which was to have the debate occupy the closing 15 or 20 minutes of Thursday evening’s session, he voted down the PM’s motion altogether, saying that “the House will treat with this matter at the end of today.”
The motion, however, was not considered on Thursday, since debates on the Suicide Motion, followed by the Walter Rodney Commission of Inquiry Report lasted until 04:00hrs on Friday morning.
The Public Accounts Committee has named Emily Dodson, Carol Corbin, Sukrishnalall Pasha, Ivor English and Nanda Gopaul as nominees for the Public Procurement Commission.
At the conclusion of the debate tomorrow, once the House so approves, those names will be submitted to President David Granger for the appointments to be finalised.