The Couva North MP, along with Couva South MP Kelvin Ramnath, essentially joined forces with the People’s National Movement (PNM) to block debate on the controversial issue of Hart.
The matter, which needed 11 votes, received only nine UNC votes, frustrating not only the United National Congress (UNC) leader and her party, but the country, which has been waiting for answers from the Government on the Calder Hart issue.
In the face of unsettling and explosive revelations about a family link between Hart and a company which won a $368 million contract, the Government has gone from defending Hart to silence. But the Government could not have had its way without the crucial decision of Panday and Ramnath not to vote with their own party.
As Persad-Bissessar started presenting her case to the Speaker for an urgent discussion on ’the need for the Prime Minister/Cabinet to revoke immediately the appointment of Mr Calder Hart as a member of the several State Enterprises to which he has been appointed, and especially as executive chairman of the Urban Development Company Ltd’, Leader of Government Business Colm Imbert uttered: “Nonsense!”
But at the end of her presentation, House Speaker Barry Sinanan announced that he was satisfied that the Persad-Bissessar’s matter qualified to be raised under the Standing Order. He then asked the House if this was also its wish, to which Government members said “no.”
Prime Minister Patrick Manning was not in the House and so it was Government leader Colm Imbert who led the PNM MPs in saying no when the matter was put to the House. Once this is done, the rules required that 11 MPs must stand in support of the Speaker’s decision to allow the matter to be given precedence over the pre-arranged business of the House.
There were exactly 11 Opposition members in the Parliament and therefore all needed to stand. At that point, Persad-Bissessar and members of the Opposition, including Subhas Panday and Vasant Bharath, rose instinctively before looking back. Absent were Nizam Baksh and Hamza Rafeeq, who are ill, while Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj and Mickela Panday were late.
Panday, who wore a determined and stoic expression, did not even look up as he read documents. Ramnath turned his chair towards the public gallery, giving the Speaker and his colleagues his back. As both men remained seated a red-faced Persad-Bissessar looked down as Government members cracked up laughing.
“Change, change, change,” they mocked, chuckling wildly, looking at Persad-Bissessar and Chief Whip Jack Warner.
