Opposition People’s National Movement (PNM) MPs will not attend the House of Representatives from today—and continuing for the remainder of the term until June 17—until the Government rescinds the suspension of Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley, party chairman Franklin Khan said yesterday.
At a media briefing at Balisier House, Port-of-Spain, Khan detailed the PNM’s upcoming action following Wednesday’s suspension of Rowley by majority Government vote.
This resulted from a motion of censure against Rowley concerning his May 20, 2013 presentation of purported emails, alleged to have been exchanged by the Prime Minister and senior cabinet members regarding a multi-pronged criminal conspiracy on the Section 34 issue. The Government presented experts’ confirmation that the emails were false.
Yesterday, the Integrity Commission in a letter to Fixin’ T&T’s Kirk Waithe stated it was in the final stages of considering a number of documents related to the Emailgate investigation and would be replying on it very shortly. The police probe of the issue is still on going.
The PNM held an emergency General Council meeting yesterday to determine its response on Rowley’s suspension which the party has deemed “obscene.”
“The Council instructed MPs of the House of Representatives to withdraw from parliamentary debates starting May 8 (today) and continuing thereafter if necessary until the Government rescinds Dr Rowley’s suspension,” Khan said.
Khan said MPs would boycott the Parliament, but PNM Senators would continue to attend Senate so special majority bills would have Opposition attention.
He said there are only five more weeks to the term and the Government would pass any bills with their Lower House majority in any event.
“It had to be a calculated call, we couldn’t sit and take this abuse.”
He added the PNM had a duty to show its dissent on the unprecedented action of the Government in suspending a political leader “on the cusp of a political election victory and this is the best way to show it. We’ll take the battle to the public.”
Khan said the PNM would be taking the issue to the public platform accompanied by a call for holding of general elections immediately.
He said the PNM’s leadership has also been mandated to take “further action as appropriate, including approaching the courts, to “meet the threats to the political leader and nation.”
No Due process— AL-RAWI
PNM public relations officer Faris Al-Rawi said the Government’s suspension was ultra vires, unlawful action and in breach of Parliament rules, “The Government essentially took political action in the Parliament and didn’t allow due process.”
He said Rowley had warned publicly that if the Emailgate matter had been sent to the Privileges Committee, he’d have summoned the Chief Justice, DPP Roger Gaspard, and police as witnesses to speak about the matter, but the Government’s suspension side-stepped any interrogation.
He said the Prime Minister’s claim that a police report that no spy bugs were found in the DPP’s office contradicted a Special Branch report on this. Khan brushed off Independent Liberal Party’s MP Jack Warner’s claim that several PNM MPs asked him to assist them in the House.
GovT’s response
On PNM’s boycott, PP House leader Dr Roodal Moonilal said, “This gross disrespect for the Parliament. It puts each PNM MP in contempt of their oath of office. They’re telling constituents who elected them to represent them, that they won’t be addressing their bread and butter concerns and are more concerned with power and office. Shameful, disgraceful and unparalleled in the Commonwealth.”
“There are six motions on PNM constituency issues on today’s Parliament agenda. We remain faithful to their constituents who are now unrepresented and may well appoint shadow MPs to represent them and bring the issues to the fore since they’ve abdicated their responsibility due to Dr Rowley’s ill-advised, callous judgment. I wager he wouldn’t go to court as he knows the Government acted properly.