Dear Editor,
Regarding your news item (Feb 22) on Speaker Raphael Trottman’s ruling to allow Member of Parliament Clement Rohee to speak in Parliament in his capacity as minister, the opposition wasted some eight months on what was a non-issue. The Speaker reversed his earlier order to prevent Mr Rohee from speaking in parliament in his ministerial capacity, and subsequently sent the issue of whether the National Assembly could prevent a minister from speaking to the Privileges Committee.
A prima facie case has to be made out against the Minister and the Speaker first determines whether such a case is made out. Minister Rohee did not violate any standing rule. The Speaker, had allowed the Minister to speak pending a decision, but this was subsequently denied by the Deputy Speaker Deborah Backer, who said Mr Rohee would never be allowed to speak as a minister as long as she was the Speaker. The Speaker (or Deputy Speaker) who is presiding in parliament, regardless of party affiliation or how one may feel about an MP, is supposed to be a non-partisan person.
Personality and issues have nothing to do with the privileges afforded a minister in his or her right to speak in parliament. They must be allowed to speak as long as they are not under the sanction of the parliament as an MP.
Speaker Trottman has got his ruling right this time. Minister Rohee has a constitutional right to speak. The opposition wasted eight months over a petty and trivial matter seeking to unconstitutionally deny someone his right. The precious time would have been better spent on other more important issues like amending the constitution to curtail the powers of the executive (or replacing the constitution with the 1966 constitution), devolving powers to the people, establishing independent agencies to oversee government expenditures, and passing laws granting people more powers to control their own affairs.
It is hoped an important lesson is learnt and that the majority will never again be so high handed in its actions (through the Speaker) to want to break parliamentary rules to deny people their fundamental rights for narrow partisan interests. It is also hoped that the opposition will now focus its energy on the more important matter of constitutional reform or change. We have had 15 months of charade since the last election.
Yours faithfully,
Vishnu Bisram
