A Tripartite Committee, comprising the three political parties represented in the National Assembly, was appointed last year during the Budget controversy and is now revived. There was no agreement in 2012 on anything in relation to the 2012 Budget except for the aborted deal relating to pensions and Linden electricity rates. This unravelled when the AFC, having been left out of the discussions, joined with others and rallied the people of Linden to oppose the hike in rates. The committee then lapsed.
It was not revived for this year’s budget and no discussions took place between the government and the opposition. No one knows the reason why this should be so. It was clear that there would be a stand-off in the National Assembly. Presumably the government figured that with the court ruling in its back pocket and somehow being able to restore the cuts made last year, the Speaker would not dare, the opposition would not dare and it would weather the storm. The Speaker and the opposition had other ideas.
Applying his oft repeated view that the court has no power over the National Assembly, the Speaker ruled that the opposition can reduce the Estimates, not only disapprove them as the Chief Justice had declared. Thus armed, the opposition then
