Estranged UNC MP Rodney Charles has accused UNC leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar of not being present in Parliament to vote on at least 20 crucial bills over the term.
He said he has been the one who has taken on Prime Minister Keith Rowley “mano a mano” in Parliament with questions.
Charles did so via a statement yesterday after Persad-Bissessar accused him and MPs Rushton Paray, Rai Ragbir, Dinesh Rambally, and Anita Haynes-Alleyne of “running away” from Parliament and “breaking biche” for last Friday’s vote on a Government motion.
It was passed by 19 PNM votes, but UNC’s 19-member bench was reduced to 14 due to the absence of the five MPs.
Persad-Bissessar said that in a deadlock, the House Speaker’s vote goes towards maintaining the status quo, and the UNC would have defeated the Government’s motion if all MPs were present and there was a 19-19 deadlock.
Yesterday, Charles, citing his performance, said that between 2020 and 2024, he spoke on 44 bills and motions and missed only seven Parliament sittings. He claimed that between 2020 and 2024, he asked 49 questions to the Prime Minister in Parliament, but during the same period, Persad-Bissessar asked only one.
“On many occasions during the Prime Minister’s questions, she wasn’t even present to provide moral support as we faced the full wrath of the raging bull,” he claimed. “It was MP Charles, not the Opposition Leader, who took on Dr Keith Christopher Rowley ‘mano a mano’ in Parliament.”
He detailed nine bills and issues between 2020 and 2024 when he was present and voted.
“So for the leader to make exaggerated statements about my record in Parliament is careless, irresponsible, and ill-advised. In 2023, I issued 68 releases to the media and spoke at 13 weekly news conferences. I defy anyone to question my commitment to holding the Rowley Government to account.”
Charles said that “despite begging too many times to recall”, he had only been placed by UNC on the Foreign and Caricom Affairs Parliamentary Committee, despite 28 years of expertise at academic and senior energy sector management levels.
Not told by the whip of a government motion on last Friday’s sitting, Charles claimed Persad-Bissessar and MPs Davendranath Tancoo and Saddam Hosein came prepared to debate the Government’s motion.
“Who advised them to prepare, is best answered by Chief Whip David Lee. Also, the Supplemental Order paper was sent to MPs 24 hours before, as required by the Standing Orders,” Charles said.
“What we now realise is that the whip deliberately didn’t advise about anything concerning the motion, even though I was in the caucus room at least 30 minutes before Parliament convened.
“Mr Lee only advised that he had oral questions on the order paper. Normal practice is for a whip to advise MPs on motions to be discussed, the line-up of speakers, and, infrequently, the party’s positions,” Charles said.
The whip sets the tone and indicates the importance attached to bills being debated.
“But what occurred last Friday demonstrated a very disturbing trend of keeping certain MPs in the dark and deselecting them from speaking on important bills. Interestingly, the UNC, not the PNM, called for a vote (count) at the end of the Government’s motion, clearly to embarrass certain UNC members. Why?”
The new modus operandi in the UNC, disturbingly, is to train guns not on the PNM, who are allowed to get away with murder, but UNC members who dare ask questions.”
Charles added, “It pains my heart to see my leader attempting to tarnish the efforts of her ‘children’ in the party, forcing us to defend our integrity and character. I call on the leader to eschew the old politics of division, bacchanal and one-upmanship and be an agent of reconciliation, maturity, integrity, and servant leadership.”
Charles said, “Fight me on those principles—not on antediluvian political commess, manufactured victimhood, ostracism, and the usual boring distractions of a bygone era,” repeating calls for generational transfer of leadership in T&T’s politics and the announcement of UNC’s Natex election date.
'Don’t try that'
UNC leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar and UNC whip David Lee issued statements on Monday about last Friday’s absence of MP Rodney Charles and the other four MPs. They did not reply to Charles’ statement yesterday.
But MPs Davendranath Tancoo and Saddam Hosein did.
Hosein said, “I take my duty as a parliamentarian very seriously. We had notice of the Government’s motion since Wednesday, 24 April. Every parliamentarian knows to always be prepared for matters listed on the order paper ... So I take it as a compliment Mr Charles has acknowledged that I’m always prepared and willing to debate. This is evident from the 128 debates I’ve participated in collectively as a senator and MP. The only question is why wasn’t Mr Charles present at 6 pm in Parliament last Friday because the debate on the Government’s motion commenced instantaneously after 6 pm.”
Tancoo said, “I came prepared to speak because I saw the order paper and the supplemental order paper, which were shared with all MPs by Parliament’s staff and which stated what the Government’s intention was to debate ... It’s my duty and the duty of every elected representative to be present and prepared to debate and vote on any and every bill/motion on the order paper.
“The political leader’s issue was about attendance on that day and the effect it could have had on the vote. But I note Mr Charles went off on his own expedition about everything—except that.”