MP slams PM’s ‘criminal’ reference

Oropouche East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal.
Oropouche East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal.

OROPOUCHE East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal has objected to the Prime Minister’s claim that criminal elements are being supported by Opposition MPs’ rejection of the Income Tax(Amendment) Bill 2018.

Dr Rowley’s remarks at a political meeting last Thursday were criticised by Moonilal a day later during sitting of the House of Representatives debate on the bill. Moonilal objected to the PM accusing the Opposition of sabotaging the country by their stance of the bill and of “supporting criminal elements.”

“I take offence to that and umbrage,” Moonilal said, of the latter. He accused the Government of trying to box into a corner a European Union diplomat who had testified before the Special Select Committee (SSC) on the bill. Moonilal accused the Government of bringing the top diplomats to Parliament to try to use him politically by asking him leading questions rather than truly seeking elucidation over the bill’s link to the Global Forum.

He said rather than the threat of blacklisting, the diplomat had said when a country feels compliant it can report. Moonilal said that while the diplomat had said that “over time” things could get serious, the AG had claimed the sky was falling. He accused the Government of playing politics with the diplomat.

Moonilal said Senator Saddam Hosein had made a valid a request for leave from the SSC. While the AG had recently called for the revocation of Hosein’s law degree, Moonilal said Hosein told him it had taken him three years to complete it.

“He told me he did not take eight years,” Moonilal quipped cryptically. “I don’t know what he meant by that.” Moonilal said Hosein had been a prize-winning law student.

Without calling names Moonilal continued, “People go to law school and believe they are lecturers, the amount of time they spend there.”

He accused the Government of a misuse of the SSC as they had tried to get interviewees to say the sky is falling. He said the Finance Minister was now making baby steps by agreeing to debate two bills at once, although Moonilal said it should be three bills together.

A watered-down version of the bill was later passed with government using its simple majority, after certain clauses, which made the bill requiring Opposition support for passage, were dropped entirely. It now moves on to the Senate for debate.

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