Lee: Short debate on Williams for CoP today

KEEPING IT SHORT: UNC member for Point a Pierre David Lee answering questions during a press conference at the Office of the Leader of the 
Opposition, Port of Spain, yesterday. Also in photo is UNC Senator Wade Mark.
KEEPING IT SHORT: UNC member for Point a Pierre David Lee answering questions during a press conference at the Office of the Leader of the Opposition, Port of Spain, yesterday. Also in photo is UNC Senator Wade Mark.

OPPOSITION MP for Pointe-a-Pierre David Lee expects the Lower House to sit briefly today to debate the nomination of acting Commissioner of Police (CoP) Stephen Williams to the substantive post, and expects some MPs on both sides to be away on vacation.

Given the Government’s charge of a tainted process to compile the CoP merit list, the House is expected to reject Williams, third on the list, as previously done for Deodat Dulalchan and Harold Phillip respectively.

Lee had written House Clerk Jacqui Sampson-Meigel to complain of the House sitting today (and twice prior this month) during the two-month parliamentary recess, in breach of the standing orders. Yesterday he said he had received no reply, and said he may have to write Speaker Bridgid Annisette-George.

Lee feared that after Friday, MPs might be called back again and again every 10 days during the recess to debate the remainder of the six-strong list.

Saying the Opposition MPs are not afraid of hard work to “do the people’s business”, he said the Opposition will not boycott the sitting although he did not expect a full turnout of either bench, due to vacation bookings.

Lee said enough time exists to debate all four remaining nominees after the recess, from when the House reconvenes in early September until Parliament prorogues on September 26.

Mark was concerned that under the standing orders while today’s sitting during recess can only be called in the form of an “extraordinary sitting”, MPs have in fact received an order paper titled “ordinary sitting”, and each type of sitting has separate rules. He said a formally-titled extraordinary sitting has only one item of business listed (that is, Williams’ nomination), while Lee said House officials had told the Opposition they could not ask questions.

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"Lee: Short debate on Williams for CoP today"

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