[UPDATED] Speaker roasts 'disrespectful' Moonilal's 'dastardly' behaviour

SPEAKER Bridgid Annisette-George read Oropouche East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal the riot act over his complaints on social media and to the US Ambassador about his inability to raise a definite matter of urgent public importance.

On April 27 in Parliament Moonilal sought to raise a definite matter of urgent public importance on the use of infrastructural capacity in the energy sector to facilitate an “illegal trade” of fuel to Venezuela which TT had originally sold to Aruba. He said the matter could lead to dire economic sanctions being imposed on US energy companies and manufacturing companies operating in TT.

Annisette-George said she was not satisfied the matter qualified under Standing Order 17.

In a letter dated April 28 Moonilal wrote to Mondello on the matter including his inability to raise it in Parliament.

The Speaker opened Friday's sitting with an announcement that lambasted Moonilal's behaviour. She began with setting out the substantive criteria for a definite matter of urgent public importance and said it was clear that some members had difficulty in grasping the meaning of the term "definite". She explained that for a matter to be definite it must not only be specific but the facts must be settled, certain and not hypothetical or presumptive.

"Mere allegations cannot constitute a definite matter. Indeed, the requirement that the matter must be definite is, logically, the first and most critical hurdle."

She said the matter must be exceedingly urgent and one that arose suddenly, and not one that has been ongoing for some time such as crime, forex shortage or unemployment. On public importance she said the matter must affect the entire country and the urgency and gravity must justify it. She added that the speaker relied on dispassionate rules as well as the advice from experienced and knowledgeable Parliament professionals.

"The question, should not be, 'why does the Speaker deny applications to raise a Matter under Standing Order 17?' Rather, the question to be asked and answered is, 'why, after having been reminded on countless occasions of the high threshold of this Standing Order 17, do particular members persist in raising matters which they very well know cannot qualify under this rule?'"

She said there was apparent abuse of the Standing Order and she will take steps to address it.

She stressed that her rulings are neither uninformed, capricious, impulsive or arbitrary and will never be driven by mischief, intimidation or veiled threats.

"It is expected that members may from time to time disagree with rulings from the chair. What is unusual and unacceptable is the public cavorting of the admittedly unrepentant Member for Oropouche East. The Member saw it fit to use both traditional and social media outlets to distort the application of a rule of this House. Equally disturbing was the Member, by his own claim, writing to foreign emissaries and international bodies complaining that his recent unsuccessful application under Standing Order 17, was due to bias on the part of the chair.

Annisette-George said as a seasoned member he should have known his application failed the first and most critical hurdle. She slammed his unusual conduct as egregious, intolerable and beneath the dignity of the House and had no other effect than to bring the House into odium and to lower its authority.

"To the reasonable mind, the reprehensible behaviour by the member was intended to have no other effect than to bring this House into odium and to lower its authority. In fact, the conduct and statements of the Member for Oropouche East are tantamount to contempt."

She said that Moonilal knows the correct procedure to seek redress if he felt aggrieved and his behaviour was therefore a flagrant display of disrespect to this House and an attempt to mislead and inflame citizens.

"To misuse the standing orders and then deliberately spread misinformation about the rules, practice and proceedings of this House is an ignoble mischief and should be denounced by all members of this House. If the Member of Oropouche East has a modicum of decency left, he will apologise to this House for his opprobrious conduct."

She said in an effort to avert a recurrence of the "dastardly events of the recent past", she has directed the Clerk to issue to members as well as to the general public information briefs on this and other misconstrued Standing Orders.

"I have also directed that members be advised, as often as may be required, against the submission of applications under Standing Order 17 that do not satisfy its requirements."

This story has been adjusted to include additional details. See original post below.

HOUSE Speaker Bridgid Annisette-George read the riot act to Oropouche East MP, Dr Roodal Moonilal, for his social media complaints and a letter he sent to the US Ambassador, on his inability to raise a matter of definite urgent public importance.

On April 27, Moonilal sought to raise as a definite matter of urgent public importance, the use of infrastructural capacity in the energy sector to facilitate an “illegal trade” of fuel to Venezuela, which TT originally sold to Aruba. He said the matter could lead to dire economic sanctions from US energy companies and manufacturing companies operating in TT.

Speaker Annisette-George said she was not satisfied the matter qualified under standing order 17. In a letter dated April 28, Moonilal wrote to US Ambassador Joseph Mondello on his inability to raise the matter in Parliament and included a copy of proceedings from the Hansard as well as a copy of a Reuters World News story published on April 26.

The Speaker opened Friday's sitting with a statement which lambasted Moonilal, who was not present in the House. She began with setting out the substantive criteria to raise a definite matter of urgent public importance and said it was clear some members had difficulty in grasping the meaning of the term "definite."

She explained that for a matter to be definite it must not only be specific but the facts must be settled, certain and not hypothetical or presumptive. "Mere allegations cannot constitute a definite matter."

She stressed that her rulings are nether uninformed, capricious or impulsive, and will never be driven by mischief, intimidation or veiled threats. She described the "public cavorting" by Moonilal as "unusual and unacceptable." She said he used social media and the writing to foreign authorities, to distort application of the rules of the House.

Annisette-George said as a seasoned member and former leader of the House, Moonilal ought to have known why his application failed. She slammed his behaviour as "egregious, intolerable and beneath the dignity of the House" and had no other effect than to bring the House into odium and disrepute as well as lower its authority.

"The conduct and statement is tantamount to contempt," she declared and added that if Moonilal "has a modicum of decency left," he would apologise to the House for his conduct.