The Parliament would continue to function without an Opposition Leader if one is not chosen.
This was the view of Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar who spoke to the media yesterday after the sod-turning for the ceremony of the Arima Hospital.
On Wednesday, Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley was suspended from Parliament following the approval of a motion of censure against him over his parliamentary statements relating to Emailgate.
Now the Opposition, which consists of Members of Parliament from the People’s National Movement (PNM) and one member from the Independent Liberal Party (ILP) may have to choose a new leader.
“I would not want to speculate if (the PNM chooses a new leader). I would continue as we are. There is a duly constituted Parliament and if the Opposition chooses or does not choose an Opposition Leader, that is an issue for the PNM,” Persad-Bissessar said.
Responding to accusations that suspension was an abuse of power, Persad-Bissessar said that the debate and vote went along with the expected process and the Opposition offered no defence.
“We gave due notice, we gave our evidence, the Opposition chose not to give one word of defence. Imagine yourself, if someone accuses you of conspiring to commit murder, should you allow that to remain? That is what we have been facing for two years. We obtained evidence where the accusations were made in the Parliament and they had a duty but they chose to run out of Parliament. There was no abuse of Parliament,” she said.
Persad-Bissessar also noted that suspending the Opposition Leader was not unprecedented in the country as former opposition leader Basdeo Panday was once banned from Parliament as well for using his laptop computer while the House was in session.
“Mr Basdeo Panday was suspended when he was the Opposition Leader you know, and the Parliament continued to function without him,” she said.
Addressing questions about the date of general elections, Persad-Bissessar assured that an election date would be called shortly. She stated that it was not her intention to postpone elections and the date would be called when it was constitutionally due.
“In a very short space of time we will be calling elections. I just want to make it clear that I have no intention to postpone the elections...We will call elections, yes, the answer is yes. Within the time frame I have according to law,” she said.