UNC: Govt Using Covid-19 Crisis to run Roughshod over Parliamentary Process
The Keith Rowley administration is conveniently using Covid-19 as a cover to rush their Parliamentary agenda without proper scrutiny. The ruling People’s National Movement used their majority to unilaterally decide to cut short the speaking time of elected representatives. This is a subversion of our democracy as it erodes the checks and balances that are built into our system of lawmaking.
The Government cannot, on one hand, say that we must take extraordinary measures while convening the Parliament to deal with things that they ignored for four years, listed below:
1. An Act to amend the Bail Act.
2. An Act to amend the Administration of Justice (Electronic Monitoring) Act, 2012.
3. An Act to establish the Trinidad and Tobago Revenue Authority and for related matters.
4. The Copyright Amendment Bill.
5. The Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic (Amendment) Bill 2019.
6. The Miscellaneous Provisions (Registrar General, Registration of Deeds, Conveyancing and Law of Property, Real Property, Stamp Duty and Registration of Title to Land) Bill, 2020.
7. The Representation of the People (Amendment) Bill, 2020.
8. The Gambling (Gaming and Betting) Control Bill, 2016.
This administration has been shamelessly using the Covid-19 crisis to cover-up their incompetence and shady dealings. Any question asked of the Government is shut down as they pivot to Covid-19. This includes the questionable visit by the sanctioned Venezuelan Vice President and PDVSA oil executives after our borders were closed, as well as accounting for the millions of taxpayers’ dollars spent on the health crisis. To date, while the Government insists that social support is being provided, thousands of families across the country are suffering.
We wish to remind Keith Rowley and his team that a pandemic does not overrule our democracy. We reject outright these anti-democratic and despotic moves by a failed administration. Parliament is known as the seat of our democracy and the actions of this Government are to the detriment of the people of Trinidad and Tobago.
This Rowley administration has failed in every aspect of governance and has tried to deceive the citizenry at every turn. Citizens deserve good governance, and a leader and team that can get the job done.