New Speaker tested during Standing Finance Committe sitting

HOUSE Speaker Jagdeo Singh was given a "baptism of fire" as he chaired his first Standing Finance Committee (SFC) sitting in the House of Representatives of Parliament on June 16.

Singh had the unenviable task of managing an often fiery and heated back-and-forth exchange between government and opposition members as the committee was called to consider an over $3 billion budgetary supplementation for ministries and other state institutions.

After a marathon sitting which started at 1.30 pm and ended almost six hours later, the supplementation of appropriation in the sum of $3,143,983,761 was passed by the committee by simple majority.

The debate for the adoption of the committee's report will take place on June 18 at 1.30 pm.

During a heated exchange on money allocated to the Office of the Attorney General and Ministry of Legal Affairs, Singh was accused of disrespectful interference by Port of Spain North/St Ann's West MP Stuart Young, former finance minister Colm Imbert and Laventille West MP Kareem Marcelle.

When Marcelle asked which portion of a proposed $54 million increase in fees would be paid to past and newly emerging accounts, a question which Attorney General John Jeremie and Minister in the Ministry of Legal Affairs Saddam Hosein did not answer in detail, Singh attempted to diffuse the tension.

“I don’t want to be even remotely deprecative, I understand that you’ve recently been admitted to the bar,” he said to Marcelle.

“It would be difficult if not impossible for anyone, given the context of the answer given, to allocate percentile amounts to past and future.”

But the comment was not taken lightly by opposition members.

“Mister Speaker, what does a member being admitted to the bar have to do with asking questions? So is it that only lawyers can ask questions related to fees?” Young asked, accompanied by Marcelle who called the comment “highly disrespectful.”

Although saying he was only providing context to the question, Singh was met with further opposition when Imbert said, “I have participated in at least 40 finance committee meetings already, 15 of which would have been under the UNC.

“This is the first finance committee meeting where I see the chairman, your good self, venturing opinions, seeking to clarify statements made. It is simply wrong, it is wrong.”

Singh also butt heads with Diego Martin Central MP Symon de Nobriga who inquired if the St Mary's Children Home and the Children's Authority would remain under the OPM, as it was previously under the OPM’s Gender and Child Affairs Division which no longer exists.

Singh said the question did not apply because it did not concern expenditure.

While further elaborating, de Nobriga was interrupted by UNC members which he pointed out to the speaker. When de Nobriga responded to them, he was met with criticism from Singh who said, “It is a bit rich to complain about small talk when you yourself are engaging in it.”

De Nobriga replied, “Chairman, I didn’t say small talk, I said cross talk.”

Singh said, “Well perhaps my description of it might have been more apt.”

Although some opposition members seemed dissatisfied with the speaker’s handling of some situations during the sitting, contacted for comment, Public Utilities Minister Barry Padarath told Newsday “Every speaker has their own style.

"Mr Singh is an eminent legal luminary. I appreciate the candour, the openess and the justification he provides for his rulings.

“I think it lends to a Parliament with a greater degree of transparency and objectivity. This is a deviation to what applied before.”

He referred to Singh as a breath of fresh air.

Political science lecturer at UWI Mukesh Basdeo told Newsday, “The speaker attempted to actually minimise the cross-talk because the focus of the committee is on the figures.

“I would say that he was able to manage the questions between the opposition and the government, mind you that the SFC, based on the standing orders, it is the opposition that really elects the votes, the ministers and the votes that they wish to investigate. So the onus is primarily on the opposition, and the government is to provide some of the answers.”

Singh also made a point of correcting current government officials, notably asking Public Administration Minister Dominic Alexander Smith to withdraw his use of the word “illegitimacy” in describing the PNM’s previous budgeting for outstanding payments of rent for buildings used by the ministry.

International development policy influencer Kris Rampersad said, based on her observations of the opening of the house on May 23, Singh's conduct as speaker was a reflection of the change the nation voted for.

“I have consistently called for a change in political culture. Since the live broadcast of Parliament, there has been a continual breakdown in behaviour with House members pandering to media attention.

“What I saw at the first sitting in this session was a new House Speaker getting familiar with the proceedings and members testing the waters with some older members bringing an old culture of disruption to proceedings.

“We anticipate that a change of regime would also bring a change in the political culture of conduct of government business as a whole and a more productive House and that the new speaker would facilitate this.”