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THE Movement for Social Justice (MSJ) blamed the UNC and the PNM for the collapse of the 2022 budget debate in the House of Representatives on Saturday. Finance Minister Colm Imbert presented the budget in the House on October 4. The debate began with Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar's response on October 8. The debate ended on Saturday around 6 pm, when no UNC MP rose to speak after PNM D'Abadie/ O'Meara MP Lisa Morris-Julian ended her contribution.
When there was no response from the Opposition MPs in the chamber to queries from Leader of Government Business Camille Robinson-Regis, Deputy Speaker Esmond Forde and Speaker Bridgid Annisette-George about any of their MPs speaking, Imbert concluded the debate. He said the UNC collapsed because they could not respond to any of the measures in the budget. Only ten UNC MPs spoke in the debate between October 8 and 9.
During a virtual news conference on Sunday, MSJ political leader David Abdulah said there seemed to be confusion in the Parliament Chamber after Morris-Julian finished speaking. Starting with the UNC, Abdulah said live video footage from the Parliament Channel showed that "nobody got up from the Opposition bench to speak."
He said the population did not hear contributions from some of the UNC's more experienced MPs such as Dr Roodal Moonilal, Dr Lackram Bodoe and David Lee. Saying many of the Opposition's frontline speakers did not end up contributing to the budget debate, Abdulah said, 'That is a demonstration of the weakness and failure of the UNC. It's failure to be able to articulate an alternative approach for the development of Trinidad and Tobago."
While "attack politics" was something common in parliamentary debates, Abdulah said the UNC offered the population nothing in terms of what it would have done were in it government or should it ever be elected to government, to address serious issues such as the covid19 pandemic.
"They did not elevate the country. They did not educate the country." Referring to the contributions of the ten UNC MPs who did speak in the debate (who included Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar), Abdulah was doubtful as to whether they exposed anything which was useful to the population in any way.
As a result of the UNC not speaking, Abdulah said there were no responses from people like the Prime Minister, Energy Minister Stuart Young, National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds and other government ministers. He claimed this was the PNM's contribution to the debate's collapse. "Both sides have failed."
Speaking after the budget debate ended on Saturday, Dr Rowley said government ministers will account for aspects of the budget under their respective portfolios when the House's Standing Finance Committee meets from Monday to Friday.
The committee will meet as required under the its standing orders from Monday to Friday to deliberate on the budget's provisions and approve the budget. On Monday, the committee will examine expenditure and allocations for the Health Ministry, Education Ministry, Office of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs, Youth Development Ministry, Service Commissions, Personnel Department, Office of the President and the Judiciary.
Leader of Government Business Camille Robinson-Regis said "the standing orders permit all ministers, including the Prime Minister, a right to speak in both Houses (the House and the Senate)." The Senate is expected to begin its budget debate on October 18. Due to the budget being a money bill, the Senate cannot deliberate upon it in committee and it cannot vote on it.
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