AG: House breaks ‘to let Opposition rethink Evidence Bill’

ATTORNEY GENERAL Faris Al-Rawi told Newsday the House of Representatives adjourned early on Friday (at about 5.30 pm) in order to “let the Opposition rethink its stance on the Evidence Bill” under debate.

Yet, Opposition MP for St Augustine Khadijah Ameen told Newsday the debate had been going well and she had expected it to go until about 8 pm.

The AG told Newsday the bill was of critical national importance and he could not understand why the Opposition was rejecting measures which had been policies of then prime minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar in 2013.

“It’s time for her bluff to be called.”

Noting the murders of Ashanti Riley and Andrea Bharatt, the AG said these women now need someone to stand up for them, and this bill was about “monster management.”

Al-Rawi said, “We paused the debate because the Opposition came with nothing that made sense. I’d like to give them the opportunity to make sense.

“This is to give them a little space to do their work. This law is designed to stop monsters, and my question to Mrs Persad-Bissessar is why will she not stop monsters.

“I don’t want to know Khadijah Ameen is on a pavement holding a candle when she should be in Parliament voting on legislation which Mrs Persad-Bissessar approved the policy points in 2013.”