Opposition Chief Whip Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj says the UNC-A will file a private motion Friday for the lifting of the suspension of Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday from the House of Representatives. But it would likely be a public relations exercise since it can only pass with government support.In any case government sources have indicated that the matter would not be up for debate until at least after a break in August, and even then there is no likelihood that the motion will get support from the governing party.
When Panday was thrown out of the House in March for using his laptop computer without proper authorization the government called it "lawlessness" and insisted that it would not support any move to bring back the former prime minister unless he makes an apology to the House.
Panday is not going to do that. He has rejected the reasons given for his suspension and he is firm in his position that his suspension was an attempt to erode his rights to freedom of expression.
And he has said repeatedly that Parliament is no more than an irrelevant talk shop because of the government's majority.
Last Friday the government appeared to be ready to cut a deal when Prime Minister Patrick manning and Maharaj met behind the Speaker's chair.
Manning's pound of flesh was one that the opposition was not likely to give: government support for a reinstatement motion in return for opposition support for amendments to the integrity legislation to exempt chairman of state boards from declaring their assets.
As expected, the UNC-A caucus rejected that outright at its regular meeting Wednesday. Maharaj said the members agreed that any move for Panday's reinstatement in the Parliament must not be linked to Opposition support for any measure.
He was clear that there was no way the opposition would support the integrity amendment because that would have the effect of "diluting integrity in public life".
The former Attorney General said the Government has a duty to end the suspension.
"It is the same duty that we had when we were in Government and Mr Rowley was suspended. The then Prime Minister Panday and then Opposition Leader Patrick Manning met, went to the Speaker and both of them made a statement in the Parliament, after which Government and Opposition voted together to reinstate Rowley, because they recognized that the Parliament and its legitimacy were involved. And we are calling on this Government to similarly do its duty to the people of Trinidad and Tobago".
For its part the Government has said the Rowley suspension was not similar to Panday's.
The Opposition Leader's suspension has a clear time line, ending with the close of the current session in December. Rowley was suspended "for a period to be determined by the House".
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