Category Archives: Parliament

PP WILL BE BACK

By Andre Bagoo
June 13, 2015 – newsday.co.tt

PP WILL BE BACKPRIME MINISTER Kamla Persad-Bissessar, 63, yesterday announced the date of the general election as September 7.

In a statement at the House of Representatives, the Prime Minister informed the nation that she would advise President Anthony Carmona, “to dissolve Parliament at midnight on Wednesday 17th June, 2015” – a move which will bring to an end the Tenth Parliament and clear the way for the Eleventh.

In announcing the date of the election, Persad-Bissessar said her Government was the first under the Republican Constitution to serve its full term. She said it did so despite the expectations of the Opposition.
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Shame and scandal, indeed

By Raffique Shah
June 07, 2015

Raffique ShahCorpus Christi morning, I come awake, latish, closer to seven o’clock. I tune in to BBC television to see what’s happening in the world, since, Thursday being a Christian holiday, the local electronic media stations will have no real news.

I do a double-take, re-check the channel number when, big and bold at the bottom of the screen I see “…Trinidad and Tobago…breaking news…”
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Jack sorry for missing Parliament: I was in prison

By Carolyn Kissoon
May 29, 2015 – trinidadexpress.com

Jack WarnerPOLITICAL Leader of the Independent Liberal Party (ILP) and Chaguanas West MP Jack Warner turned up for the 1.30p.m sitting of Parliament today and apologised for being absent on Wednesday. “I was in prison” he said.

He made the statement before the Prime Minister question and answer segment in the Parliament. Warner was the lone politician on the Opposition beach. Members of the Peoples National Movement (PNM) are boycotting the Parliament as a result of the suspension of Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley.
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Talking Loud and Saying Nothing

By Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe
May 24, 2015

Dr. Selwyn R. CudjoePart of the glory of being a Trinbagonian is that someone always arises in our time of need. These are people who always place the needs of country before self, our communal health before blind egotism, and truth before falsification. On May 21, for yet another time, Sebastian Ventour, deputy chairman of the Integrity Commission and one of our distinguished citizens, rejected conformity to reaffirm the sterling quality of our personhood.
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PNM wants Commission of Enquiry into deal

By Richard Lord
May 23, 2015 – guardian.co.tt

TheftThe Opposition PNM is insisting that nothing less than a Commission of Enquiry must be appointed to investigate the award and execution of Petrotrin’s South West Soldado project.

This point was made by St Joseph MP Terrence Deyalsingh during his contribution to yesterday’s House of Representatives debate on a private motion on the project. It was presented for debate by Point Fortin MP Paula Gopee-Scoon.
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Integrity Commission ends its emailgate probe

By Anna Ramdass
May 19, 2015 – trinidadexpress.com

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-BissessarPrime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar last night declared victory following the Integrity Commission’s termination of its investigation into emailgate.

She added this vindication was proof Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley was unfit to lead Trinidad and Tobago.
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Coping with the generation gap

By Raffique Shah
May 17, 2015

Raffique ShahIf you allow yourself to be consumed by politicking that more so in the run-up to elections, is a deafening cacophony that can distract you to death, you miss out on not-too-subtle changes that are altering the landscape fundamentally.

I am in my 70th year, and while some aspects of aging are catching up with me, I remain mentally alert, capable of digesting many of the exciting advances in technology that, for better or for worse, have opened up new horizons that we must learn to live with or find ourselves buried in the sands of time.
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Deputy DPP Press Release on ‘Emailgate’

BY THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC PROSECUTIONS

Joan Honore-PaulRE: INVESTIGATIONS INTO THE EMAIL DISCLOSURES IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES BETWEEN MAY 20, 2013 AND MAY 24, 2013

Through various reports in the electronic and print media, it has become obvious that certain correspondence from the United States Department of Justice, sent to the Police Investigative team through the Central Authority, has found its way into the hands of parties who are not members of the Investigative or advising Prosecutorial teams. While the articles are numerous, the following excerpts are instructive:
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Deputy DPP slams PM for Emailgate claims: No One Cleared

By Irving Ward
May 14, 2015 – guardian.co.tt

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-BissessarDeputy Director of Public Prosecutions Joan Honore-Paul last night slammed Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar for her suggestion that she and her colleagues should be cleared in the Emailgate probe, saying the police were far from done with their investigations and the case was still wide open.

She also chastised Persad-Bissessar for releasing contents of reports provided to the police from the US Department of Justice, saying that the treaty under which this information was provided prohibited anyone else other than the national security parties probing the matter to use it.
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A clear and present danger

By Michael Harris
May 11, 2015 – trinidadexpress.com

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-BissessarThe suspension from Parliament of the Leader of the Opposition by the UNC-led Government last week is a total abuse of power, a denigration of our Parliament and a threat to our democracy.

It is a total abuse of power because in the absence of any final report of the investigation into the e-mail affair from the police or the Integrity Commission the UNC Government went to the Parliament and, acting as investigator, prosecutor, judge, jury and executioner all at the same time, used its majority first to censure the Leader of the Opposition and then to banish him from the Parliament for the rest of this term.
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