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ALL but two members of the Opposition walked out of Parliament on Monday as they refused to take part in the debate on amendments to the Municipal Corporations (Extension of Terms of Office and Validation) Bill 2023.
Last week, the bill was passed in both houses with additional amendments.
In the lower House, an amendment was made to clause five which validated the actions of councillors and aldermen between December 2, 2022 and May 18 and up to the date when the bill becomes an act of Parliament.
In the Senate, an amendment was approved to validate the actions of councillors and aldermen only between December 2, 2022 and May 18.
Because of these changes, the lower House and the Senate must sit again to approve the act before it can be sent to President Christine Kangaloo for assent and proclaimed into law.
On Monday, Attorney General Reginald Armour, SC, introduced the bill but said nothing further.
During her response, Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar said since the AG had come and "stayed totally silent, we cannot debate this matter to give our support to it or not give our support..."
After being cautioned by Speaker Brigid Anisette-George, Persad-Bissessar said, "I take total objection to this course of action and I will not partake in this debate."
As she and other members were packing up to leave, she added, "This is not democracy," and told fellow opposition members: "We should all leave."
The only two opposition members who remained were Barataria/San Juan MP Saddam Hosein and Chaguanas West MP Dinesh Rambally.
Princes Town MP Barry Padarath began speaking loudly as he left and the Speaker asked him to apologise.
"You're too senior for this type of behaviour," she told him.
Padarath said, "I apologise, but it changes nothing."
Anisette-George then asked him to apologise properly and to keep his emotions under control. She told opposition members they were free to leave, but urged them not to disrupt Parliament.
Persad-Bissessar said if the government listened to the Opposition last week, the House would not have to meet again and could have saved time.
Armour, who spoke after the walkout, said the reason he said nothing earlier was because he had requested an unedited urgent copy of Hansard from May 29 to review what had been said by opposition members.
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