A report on the cost of food for each sitting of Parliament being $700,000 has triggered a particularly sharp debate about the cost and the alleged supply of alcohol. The Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Bharrat Jagdeo, confessed that he consumes the food. He said: “I eat the food. What do you suggest? I don’t eat the food? I eat the food…I like eating too. And it’s not like it’s fancy food. It’s not fancy food…” The problem, the teetotaler Mr. Jagdeo said, confirming the traditionally austere leadership of the PPP, was the alcohol. “It’s not just the food. It’s the huge amount of alcohol that gets consumed and imbibed in Parliament… fancy, fancy, liquor.” Mr. Jagdeo noted that Opposition members would hardly ever, if at all, utilise alcohol provided by Parliament Office. “They do eat. We eat. I eat the food,” he emphasized, “…but it’s the alcohol part that I have a problem with.” The politics also intruded. Mr. Jagdeo suggested that it was some Government members who excessively imbibed during sittings. After suggesting that the cost of the alcohol might be as much as the cost of food, he recommended that members purchase their own alcohol.
If the Leader of the Opposition were concerned that MPs would be drunk on their feet or otherwise in Parliament, he should not worry. The public, viewing debates and the heckling and cross-talking, would assume that MPs are drunk anyway – Government Members with power, and Opposition Members seeking it.
The Clerk to the Parliament, Mr. Sherlock Isaacs, politely explained that alcohol is provided only on special occasions. Minister Cathy Hughes was sharper and more combative, as political necessity dictates. The angry Minister accused the Leader of the Opposition of “ranting and raving and lying deliberately, misrepresenting the facts.” Minister Hughes said that the parliamentary lounge she is familiar with does not serve alcohol but a variety of teas, juices and water. But on special occasions, such as Christmas and other special events, alcohol is served. It is also served at the MPs’ expense when it’s a personal occasion, such as a birthday. The Minister also explained that meals are supplied for 300 persons, which include Parliament staff working during Sittings, media personnel and some drivers, including those of Mr. Jagdeo. She said the cost works out to US$11 per person.