Ministerial travel has been cancelled in order for People's Partnership (PP) MPs to attend today's Parliament debate of the "spy" bill and Government is prepared for a marathon sitting, PP officials said yesterday. Works Minister Jack Warner and Parliamentary secretary Jairam Seemungal had been scheduled to travel to Zurich and Mexico, respectively, officials added. But this was rescheduled in favour of today's debate since the Government will need all 29 of its MPs present for passage of the special majority bill. The bill requires a three-fifth vote for passage. The PP Government has enough to pass the bill once all MPs are present.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar said Government wished to have the Opposition PNM's support for the bill even though the 29 member Government has the required majority to pass it
She said the Government was willing to accommodate changes and amendments to the bill. National Security Minister John Sandy is expected to pilot the bill, followed by Opposition Leader Keith Rowley who will lead off the Opposition PNM's reply, officials added.
Government speakers include front-line ministers such as Warner and Persad- Bissessar. Officials said said the Government–which hopes to pass the bill today–is prepared to sit late into tonight if necessary, and according to how many speakers each side has.
PNM speakers are expected to include former Prime Minister Patrick Manning and MPs Colm Imbert and Donna Cox. Manning came under fire last week from Persad-Bissessar who accused him of using the Security Intelligence Agency to spy on then Opposition UNC and COP members as well as other people. Promoting the bill last week, Persad Bissessar said wiretapping is an important tool that can greatly assist the police in the fight against crime and protect national security. She said it must be carefully regulated and justified on the basis of necessary criminal intelligence or a potential threat to national security. The bill was drafted in 2007 under the past PNM administration. The Government has made several changes, including having only one security unit to intercept private communications for the purpose of gathering criminal intelligence and protecting and defending national security.
Persad-Bissessar has said governments worldwide have found it necessary to embrace the use of communications interception to collect the vital intelligence needed to gain the advantage to fight domestic and international crime and terrorism. She said interception was a necessary evil, "but the interests of national security must prevail in the clash between the right to privacy and national security." On the matter of the right of the individual to privacy, she said the Constitution did not afford an express protection of the right to privacy. She said: "The right of the individual must be balanced, against the interests of national security, the public interest and the economic well-being of the country," the Prime Minister said.
"When these interests conflict, the public interest must prevail where reasonably justifiable.�"It is often necessary that individual rights are abrogated to some measure where there is a threat to the public good." She said the legislation will strike a balance between the need for regulated wiretapping in limited circumstances as a weapon in the fight against crime and the need to prevent the abuse and misuse of the power to intercept private communications by citizens.