Chief Whip: Don’t suppress Paria COE Report
There must be no cover-up, no suppression, or hiding of the Commission of Enquiry’s Report into the Paria Tragedy by the government. The Government has a moral, humanitarian and ethical responsibility to the people of our nation to make the Commission’s report public by laying it in Parliament.
The families of these divers have suffered significant turmoil with lifelong hurt, our nation has been gripped by anguish given the horrific revelations during the Commission of Enquiry and most of all, massive questions on the role of the state in saving the lives of four sons of our soil have come into question. The citizens of Trinidad and Tobago deserve justice for those four divers which can only begin by laying the full report of the COE in the Parliament.
Today I am calling on the Prime Minister and Minister of Energy to give an immediate undertaking that this report, once submitted by the Commission, will be brought to Parliament and made public.
The disdain which has been shown by those in authority to this tragedy such as when families were abandoned in the Paria car park without shelter during the catastrophe or when the Commission was forced to start without pens and paper, must end.
Parliament must be given the opportunity to consider this report so questions such as “What was the role of the Minister of Energy as the regulator of Paria in this crisis?” can be answered.
As the Member of Parliament for two of these divers, I am infuriated that Paria, a state company, funded by taxpayers, could insinuate at the Commission that they had no legal obligation to save these divers as reported. Therefore, Parliament and the public must be made fully aware of the findings of the Commission to ensure those responsible are held accountable.
David Lee
Member of Parliament
Pointe a Pierre