Senior government Ministers and front-line Opposition MPs have not contributed to the 2009/10 national budget debate, which is expected to conclude today.

Prime Minister Patrick Manning, National Security Minister Martin Joseph, Education Minister Esther Le Gendre and Opposition MPs Vasant Bharath and Dr Roodal Moonilal, Ramesh Maharaj and Kelvin Ramnath did not speak in the debate. Maharaj and Ramnath were absent from the Parliament during the debate. Yesterday, Chief Whip Dr Hamza Rafeeq said: “We decided not to allow Rudy and Vasant to speak because the ministers they were planning to respond to did not speak. So there was nothing to respond to.”

Rafeeq said House Leader Colm Imbert told him that he wanted to conclude the debate on Monday. Raffeq said he questioned why many of the senior government ministers, including National Security Minister Joseph, did not speak in the debate. He noted that Finance Minister Karen Tesheira, in presenting the budget two Mondays ago, promised that Joseph would elaborate on the Government’s initiatives to fight crime. Rafeeq said he told Imbert it was up to him to decide when the debate closes. He said the UNC won the debate as the Government did not defend adequately the measures contained in the budget. “We are satisfied that we did well in our contributions,” Rafeeq added.

Rafeeq said Moonilal and Bharath would contribute to the debate on two budget-related matters later today, the Provisional Collection of Taxes Order and the Excise Duty (Amendment) Order.
Shortly after one o’clock yesterday morning, the 12-hour session ended, when Finance Minister Karen Tesheira started her wind-up of the debate. She said a release issued by Standards & Poor’s Rating Services clearly indicated that everything’s not bad in the T&T economy. Earlier, Opposition MP Chandresh Sharma was very critical of the Government claiming discrimination against East Indians in all aspects of life in T&T. He was in turn criticised by Government backbencher Indra Sinanan Ojah-Maharaj, who said she was disappointed of his claim because he “Sharma “was one of us.”

MP for Oropouche West Mickela Panday brought the House to laughter when PM Manning asked her a question about gender budgeting. She responded: “That is why your are there (on Government benches) and we are here (on Opposition benches). Panday told Manning that the answer was for him to determine as he was in Government. Debate on the budget is scheduled to begin in the Senate on Tuesday.

Those who contributed to the 2009/10 budget debate:
• Finance Minister Karen Tesheira
• Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday
• Information Minister Neil Parsanlal
• Opposition MP Dr Tim Gopeesingh
• Labour Minister Rennie Dumas
• Opposition MP Winston Peters
• Public Administration Minister Kennedy Swaratsingh
• Opposition MP Nizam Baksh
• Sports Minister Gary Hunt
• Opposition MP Harry Partap
• Legal Affairs Minister Peter Taylor
• Government MP Anthony Roberts
• Opposition MP Kamla Persad-Bissessar
• Government MP Dr Keith Rowley
• Opposition MP Subhas Panday
• Health Minister Jerry Narace
• Opposition Chief Whip Dr Hamza Rafeeq
• Government MP Fitzgerald Jeffrey
• Opposition MP Mickela Panday
• Social Development Minister Dr Amery Browne
• Opposition MP Chandresh Sharma
• Tourism Minister Joseph Ross
• Energy Minister Conrad Enill
• Opposition MP Jack Warner
• Foreign Affairs Minister Paula Gopee-Scoon
• Public Utilities Minister Mustapha Abdul-Hamid
• Works and Transport Minister Colm Imbert
• Government MP Indra Sinanan Ojah-Maharaj