The Speaker of the National Assembly, Ralph Ramkarran has proposed a change to the AFC motion calling on Member of Parliament and Minister of Local Govern-ment Kellawan Lall to explain his conduct in a rum shop fracas last year November.
Ramkarran told Stabroek News when contacted that he made an amendment which he has the power to and has informed the mover of the motion, AFC Leader Raphael Trotman of the amendment. The amendment related to the language used.
He said that it was not necessary that he inform the mover of the motion of the amendment as he also has the authority to put the amended version of the motion on the Order Paper but he has done this out of courtesy. He said that sometimes the amendments are not accepted by the movers.
Trotman’s motion called on Lall to explain his conduct in a rum shop brawl involving a teenager and shooting incident on November, 17, 2007, or, alternatively that the National Assembly states its displeasure with his conduct in the absence of a satisfactory explanation.
Asked for an update on the motion on Wednesday Trotman told Stabroek News that on Tuesday he received a notice of the proposed amendment from the Clerk of the National Assembly Sherlock Isaacs on the instruction of the Speaker.
Trotman said that the AFC was in the process of considering it and would communicate with the Speaker very shortly.
Effectively, Trotman said that the amendment deletes the second part of the motion which is calling on the National Assembly “to state its displeasure with the member’s (Lall’s) conduct” in the absence of a sufficient and satisfactory explanation to the National Assembly on his conduct on November 18, 2007.
Asked whether he was informed why the motion was amended, Trotman said that he was not given the reason for the amendment but he noted that the Speaker had the power to amend it.
He said that having submitted the motion since December 14, 2007, he had expected it to come before the House earlier but he thinks that the Christmas holiday season coupled with the Speaker being out of the country would have delayed its movement.
Ramkarran told Stabroek News that the motion has not yet been placed before the House because of his absence from the country recently. However, he said that as soon as he returned he dealt with the matter.
Contacted on the amendment, Isaacs told the Stabroek News that the amendment was done according to the parliamentary standing orders on Notice of Motions or Amendments, Section 27. 2 which states that “If the speaker is of the opinion that any notice of the motion which has been received by the clerk infringes the provisions of the standing orders, or, is in any other way out of order, he or she may direct – (a) that the member concerned be informed that the notice of the motion is out of order, or, (b) that the notice of the motion be entered into the order book with such alterations as he or she may direct.” According to Isaacs the amendment was done in keeping with Section 27.2 (b).
Even if the proposed amendment is approved by Trotman, who submitted the motion in the first instance, the standing orders make it clear that it would not be laid before the House and debated for another two weeks after the Speaker would have approved it and had it laid in parliament.
AFC Chief Whip, Sheila Holder, told Stabroek News that it could mean that the debate on the motion on an issue of national importance could take place after the debate and passage of the national budget.
Stretching out the time for the debate on such a motion, she said puts the opposition at a disadvantage giving the public a perception that the AFC was not on the ball even though the motion was submitted in mid-December.
Lall was allegedly involved in a fracas with a teenager whom he reportedly assaulted after which he discharged his weapon. The teenager has told this newspaper that they have agreed not to pursue the matter of his assault and Lall, who admitted to firing one shot, has since surrendered his weapon. The matter of Lall firing his weapon is still before the Director of Public Prosecutions more than two months after the incident occurred.
(Miranda La Rose)
