Moonilal sent to Privileges Committee

HOUSE Speaker Bridgid Annisette-George yesterday agreed to government’s call to send Oropouche East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal to the Privileges Committee of the House of Representatives for contempt for alleging Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has a Florida bank account linked to the fake oil scandal.

In an immediate response, an unfazed Moonilal dismissed this as a campaign of harassment and an effort to shut him up. Annisette-George agreed that Government whip Camille Robinson Regis had made a prima facie case that Moonilal may have breached the House’s privilege of freedom of speech in his allegations against Rowley.

The Speaker said her finding was not any "decided opinion" (on guilt or innocence) but that must be determined by the committee.

Robinson-Regis yesterday moved a separate motion of privilege against Moonilal alleging that by way of crosstalk last Wednesday, he muttered threatening remarks to Laventille West MP Fitzgerald Hinds, regarding a man known as "Snake" who was convicted of splashing floodwater at Hinds in the Beetham Gardens. However, Annisette-George reserved her ruling to a future date.

Robinson-Regis alleged Moonilal had told Hinds, “Snake have lead for you”, words often used by criminals that were, “a grievous threat to life and limb.” The whip said the chair had not heard the word, but it was picked up by MPs, Hansard, newspapers, social media and the Parliament Channel.

She claimed the words were “a serious indignity to this House and an apparent threat to a member.” Robinson-Regis alleged Moonilal’s conduct was a threat, obstructed an MP, was a serious indignity and brought the House into public odium.

On hearing Robinson-Regis read her fresh motion, Moonilal let out an audible laugh, invoking a chiding by the Speaker who said anyone who found it funny could go outside and have their fun. Moonilal, surrounded by colleagues, later told reporters the two motions to send him to privileges were simply a campaign of harassment to try to shut him up.

Saying just 22 months remain until the next general election, he said this move will end up tying up many government ministers in this committee and pre-occupy him with its sittings, so as to stop him from addressing other vital issues. “They target me because I target them. I think they could come with something else.”

Moonilal vowed to not be intimidated. He said he had been sent to privileges before and has sat on the committee and knows its workings. Saying Parliament had just resumed, he said, “We don’t have a privileges committee. We’ll have to get one from somewhere.” He expected the committee’s work to take time as evidence must be gathered.