Lee: No-confidence motion against Khan did not fail

MP for Pointe-a-Pierre David Lee said the motion of no confidence brought against Minister of Energy and Energy Industries Franklin Khan was not a failure.

The motion was debated in Parliament on Friday.

Lee was one of two Opposition MPs at a media briefing at the Office of the Leader of Opposition, Charles Street, Port of Spain, on Sunday.

He said the government side had been lacking in senior members and as such Khan should resign, if he had any self-respect. He said only three senior government members spoke to the motion: Finance Minister Colm Imbert, Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi and National Security Minister Stuart Young.

“There were several other senior Cabinet members who could have come out and supported Franklin Khan,” he said.

“My motion of no confidence in Franklin Khan as the Minister of Energy and Energy Industries has not failed. It is alive and well and it is on the order paper.”

Lee said the Opposition thought something similar would have happened with the no-confidence motion against Khan as with the no-confidence motion against Minister of National Security Stuart Young which was brought in January.

“What happened on Friday? The Government did not even have confidence in Minister Khan. Because at 6 pm, they adjourned their debate – the Government. They have that right.

“So they did not even vote in confidence for their own senior Cabinet minister, Franklin Khan. And we were shocked. We thought this Government would have come out in defence of Minister Khan, in support of confidence in Minister Khan.”

Lee said the Opposition can, at any point on a private members’ day, bring back the motion.

“I have never seen – and I am talking to senior politicians – that any Government would allow a motion of no confidence in any one of their ministers to remain alive on an order paper. So something is amiss.

“It really tells the country, while the Opposition is correct...I think their own Government has no confidence in Minister Khan,” he said.

Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi said the people of TT were sick and tired of wasting time in Parliament in responding to Lee’s comments.

In aphone interview on Sunday, Al-Rawi urged Lee to “focus on productive issues, adding, “contrary to his submissions, the Parliament record clearly demonstrates that several Cabinet ministers stood and spoke in that debate.”

He added that it was brought in a private members motion and that motion ends at 6 pm under the Standing Orders.

“If Mr Lee thinks this is important news, I wish him good luck in life. I don’t join him in his submissions, and I think he is wasting time, quite respectfully.”

He said he welcomed Lee’s views on serious matters for the protection of citizens and that there was room for positive contribution by all MPs on serious matters.