Prakash: Election a distraction

ST Augustine MP Prakash Ramadhar on Friday claimed the announcement of the local government election date was an attempt to distract the public away from "the spectacularly good" response of Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar to the 2019-2020 budget.

Later in his contribution to the budget debate in the House of Representatives, Ramadhar hinted that this could "very well be my last contribution." This prompted Laventille West MP Fitzgerald Hinds to tell Ramadhar "sing your swan song."

Ramadhar claimed the Prime Minister's announcement of December 2 as the election date was a distraction.

Persad-Bissessar as "a woman of intense grace and forbearance", Ramadhar remarked, "Today she dropped some good language on you." He argued that what people heard from Persad-Bissessar "today was a budget."

Ramadhar claimed the budget presentation of Finance Minister Colm Imbert was "a whitewash.

Recalling that Imbert announced that increased wages for URP and CEPEP workers would take effect from December 1, Ramadhar asked, "Are we to believe this is not an election budget?" He questioned why an election was going to be held and campaign finance reform legislation was not passed.

Ramadhar also wondered why Dr Rowley announced at the re-opening of Whitehall, last month, that Tower D of the Port of Spain International Centre would be used to house several civil courts after the Parliament returns to the Red House. "When was that decision taken?" he asked. Imbert said Parliament will return to the Red House in January.

After recalling a story where he helped a man who was injured crossing the road near Tower D, Ramadhar wondered whether there was a connection with between the construction of a walkover and a car park near the waterfront.

Ramadhar dismissed repeated PNM claims that the former PP government was involved in corruption. He countered that if this was so, the PP would not have passed procurement legislation which is "a dagger into the heart of corruption."

He said if anyone in the former government had broken the law "all you pay the price and go."

Recalling that giving up his position as COP leader was one of the hardest things he ever did, Ramadhar said he was not a politician who sings for his supper.

In concluding his contribution, Ramadhar said he had been honoured to serve as MP for the last ten years.