AG: Opposition ‘talking the talk’ but not ‘walking the walk’

ATTORNEY General Faris Al-Rawi says many Opposition MPs have been claiming they want to collaborate with the Government in the fight against covid19, but he finds this hard to believe because of their actions.

At a virtual press conference on Friday morning, he said they are “talking the talk” but not “walking the walk.”

“I don’t think that the evidence stands up to that, because what we’ve got from the opposition members is active litigation on matters that I respectfully believe ought not to even be in the court process," he said. “Mr (Gerald) Ramdeen and Mr (Anand) Ramlogan alone have occupied a significant amount of activity in the court and all of their matters have effectively failed.”

He said the opposition had not supported a number of bills that are crucial as the country is facing the pandemic.

“We cannot get the opposition’s support on the Interception of Communication Bill – that is a critical aspect of covid19. The Senate has passed it, all of the senators agreed. The opposite does not want to support it.

“They refuse to support the bail amendment to treat with firearms. They have said to the country, let’s have a State of Emergency, but then they’re gonna fight to open a liquor mart.

“They have said to the population, ‘Let’s manage covid appropriately,' but then they’re fighting to release people who are confirmed to be having conditions and still being affected by the disease.”

He said some MPs have personally contacted him with fair suggestions, but politicians on the “frontline,” have not been as assistive.

“What they say and what they do are on polar opposites of the equation.

"If they were (co-operative), we’d have a really easy passage to all these things.”