Senate sits for 5 minutes as new term starts

THE Senate sat for five minutes as it opened the new parliamentary term at the Red House on September 13.

The sitting began promptly at 1.30 pm with the proclamation issued by President Christine Kangaloo for the opening of the new term being read to senators.

Senate Vice President Dr Muhammad Yunis Ibrahim presided over the sitting. He informed senators the reason he was doing so was because Senate President Nigel de Freitas was out of the country.

Ibrahim then approved a request from Opposition Senator Jayanti Lutchmedial-Ramdial to be excused from the day's sitting owing to illness.

Leader of Government Business, Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister Dr Amery Browne, then moved that the Senate adjourn to September 17 at 1.30 pm.

Browne did not indicate what business the Senate would discuss on that day.

There were no objections from opposition or independent senators to the adjournment, which came at 1.35 pm.

Government, opposition and independent senators engaged in inaudible friendly conversations across the aisle of the parliament chamber as they left.

The Senate's order paper identified the reading of the President's proclamation as the only item of business to be dealt with on September 13.

In Legal Notice 164 issued on September 9, Kangaloo said the new parliamentary term will open at the Red House on September 13 at 1.30 pm, in accordance with Section 67 of the Constitution.

In this notice, Kangaloo said allowances could be made for members (MPs or senators) to be able to participate virtually in the sitting if they cannot be physically present. This would be done once prior approval is granted either by the Speaker of the House of Representatives or the President of the Senate.

In Legal Notice 164, also issued on September 9, Kangaloo announced the last parliamentary session was prorogued at midnight on September 9 by her, acting on the advice of the Prime Minister and in accordance with Section 68 of the Constitution.

Dr Rowley is currently in the US having a routine medical check-up. Energy Minister Stuart Young is acting as prime minister in his absence.

The paper also showed the government has three bills to debate.

Two of them, bills to amend the Supplemental Police Act and to establish a private security service authority respectively, are in the name of National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds.

The other bill, which proposes to amend the Sexual Offences Act, is filed in Attorney General Reginald Armour's name.

Armour also has a motion on the order paper which asks the Senate to approve a report from a special select committee of the Senate to consider and report on the Miscellaneous Provisions (Trial by Judge Alone) Bill, 2023.

The order paper had no questions or motions filed either by independent or opposition senators.