DEMOCRACY RAPED! Pillay and Cesar are a total disgrace
The tabling and debate of the special Auditor General’s Report on the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) and the National Drug Enforcement Agency (NDEA) last week by the Leader of the Opposition, Wavel Ramkalawan, was yet another example of the amateurism that has shrouded the National Assembly lately.
All rules and procedures regulating the proceedings of the House were ignored and Ramkalawan himself stated that the Report was being laid under Article 23 (8) of the Rules of Procedures for Committees. In fact, what has happened was a total disregard of the Constitution and the Rules including Rule 23 (8) of the said document. The Constitution dictates that all Auditor General’s reports should go to the Finance and Public Accounts Committee (FPAC), for consideration first and only thereafter can a report be submitted by FPAC to the National Assembly for debate. This, sadly, was never done thus rendering the deliberations on the motion null and void.
The National Assembly debated the report of the Auditor General which is not permissible under the Constitution since at no material time was it considered by the FPAC. The motion was not a report of FPAC as defined by Article 28 of the Rules of Procedures for Committees and as wrongly stated by Ramkalawan. Furthermore, the report did not contain the name of the members nor the number of meetings held and days spent, issues discussed, summary of hearings, recommendations and motivations, and signatures of all members; all requirements under Article 28. It was a gross violation of both the Rules of the House and the Constitution of the country.
That the motion passed the test of admissibility of Speaker Pat Pillay, is yet another reason why he should be impeached and his clueless special advisor Daniel Cesar be sacked.
FPAC should have summoned all those mentioned in the Auditor General’s Report, with a view to determine whether an offence has indeed been committed. It is believed that Ramkalawan circumvented these procedures precisely to save the skin of his chief whip, Ahmed Afif, who is very much embroiled in the scandal and to prevent the public from hearing the other side of the story.
For Ramkalawan, it was yet another opportunity to fool the electorate in believing the SCR90, 000 million have disappeared into thin air.
Independent
All rules and procedures regulating the proceedings of the House were ignored and Ramkalawan himself stated that the Report was being laid under Article 23 (8) of the Rules of Procedures for Committees. In fact, what has happened was a total disregard of the Constitution and the Rules including Rule 23 (8) of the said document. The Constitution dictates that all Auditor General’s reports should go to the Finance and Public Accounts Committee (FPAC), for consideration first and only thereafter can a report be submitted by FPAC to the National Assembly for debate. This, sadly, was never done thus rendering the deliberations on the motion null and void.
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| Pillay & Cesar |
The National Assembly debated the report of the Auditor General which is not permissible under the Constitution since at no material time was it considered by the FPAC. The motion was not a report of FPAC as defined by Article 28 of the Rules of Procedures for Committees and as wrongly stated by Ramkalawan. Furthermore, the report did not contain the name of the members nor the number of meetings held and days spent, issues discussed, summary of hearings, recommendations and motivations, and signatures of all members; all requirements under Article 28. It was a gross violation of both the Rules of the House and the Constitution of the country.
That the motion passed the test of admissibility of Speaker Pat Pillay, is yet another reason why he should be impeached and his clueless special advisor Daniel Cesar be sacked.
FPAC should have summoned all those mentioned in the Auditor General’s Report, with a view to determine whether an offence has indeed been committed. It is believed that Ramkalawan circumvented these procedures precisely to save the skin of his chief whip, Ahmed Afif, who is very much embroiled in the scandal and to prevent the public from hearing the other side of the story.
For Ramkalawan, it was yet another opportunity to fool the electorate in believing the SCR90, 000 million have disappeared into thin air.
Independent
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