It struck me that the PNM has been behaving quite boldly in hiding their affairs, by skirting, bending, twisting, back-flipping, changing and even breaching laws to this effect. Now however, they might be behaving corruptly in doing so.
In reading this morning how the PNM members walked out of the PAC meeting, I am wondering whether we really have an autocracy, or whether we are indeed in a dictatorship. Truth to tell, this present PNM has been very bold in its attempts to muzzle enquiries into its affairs. Well, it is not even PNM affairs, it is public affairs which the PNM handles.
It irks me that the PNM had three members absent at the last meeting, thereby losing a vote to have the meetings publicised, and now wanted to force the members to vote again on the same issue. Roodal Moonilal was right - put it in the agenda and vote at the next meeting, in the meantime, let this meeting be televised. I mean, if Ato Boldon missed an Olympic heat, thus missing a qualifying run, can he demand then that he be included? No! "Dem's the breaks" and you live with the consequences. I ent hear Steven Williams complaining that he ent the CoP.
Moonilal was also right when he said the meeting started with a quorum and must continue.
About half an hour later, Hadeed, who is Vice-President of the Senate, walked back in. Citing Standing Order 8, he contended that the meeting did not have a quorum (in the absence of the PNM members). He said not having a quorum meant that the Chairman should adjourn the meeting, ten minutes after this is brought to his attention.
The quorum is six members and there were (including Hadeed) only four members present- Moonilal, Bharath and Baptiste-McKnight. But the Chairman, said his advice (taken from the Committee's Secretary Jacqueline Phillip Stoute) was that the meeting started with a quorum and it was not necessary to adjourn it, despite the fact that people subsequently left.
It appears that the Vice-President of the Senate is partisan to the PNM also.
What the people of Trinidad & Tobago should be asking, but are not, is what does the PNM have to hide?
