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Marking the territory

He’s more than likely regarded by the Government as the Senate’s “Enfant Terrible.” But if UNC Senator Wade Mark’s aim sometimes falls short in accuracy, he compensates for it with persistence.

And Mark was in his element on Tuesday and Wednesday as the Senate completed work before its vacation.

He made the most of it too, as Ministers Amery Browne, Esther Le Gendre, Mariano Browne, Hazel Manning and Conrad Enill might ruefully recall—along with Government’s Senate team which Mark is attempting to refer to the Privileges Committee for failing to answer questions.

“I’ll give a class for the new team to interpret the Standing Orders,” Mark offered unsympathetically.

Senate President Danny Montano’s most effective weapon against Mark is “The Hand,” which Montano holds up against pro-tests.

Talking (back) to that is usually limited on Mark’s part, though the trade unionist in him perseveres.

The UNC senator certainly left his mark on the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association’s regional conference in Antigua over June 29-July 3.

It was enough to prompt the leader of T&T’s delegation, PNM MP Stanford Callendar, to complain to PNM Leader of Government Business, Colm Imbert.

Mark, according to Callendar’s letter:

n Delivered “biting” commentary on Government’s performance.

n Accused House Speaker Barendra Sinanan on the suspension of Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday regarding the laptop issue.

n Continued a “tirade” against Sinanan’s rulings and attempts to “run” the UNC.

n Adopted an “adversarial stance, painting every T&T youth a bandit with a gun.”

Callendar, who defended T&T, said CPA members warned T&T’s team against “washing dirty linen publicly” and offered “brokering” services.

Ultimatum for UNC

Callendar’s letter stated:

“It was obvious Mark went there with an agenda since he exhibited similar conduct at CPA’s 2006 Nigeria conference.

“I wish therefore to recommend very strongly that Government take these conferences more seriously and that more careful attention is paid to the level and com- position of representation at these conferences, particularly where delegations include Opposition members.” (sic)

Yesterday Imbert, saying he will take the issue to Cabinet which funds trips, added:

“We’ll have to ask the CPA for guidelines for participants on trips. Other states present a united front when they attend conferences. If the Opposition doesn’t want to adhere to CPA guidelines, they’ll get blacklisted and we’ll have to say ‘no’ when they want to go abroad and tarnish T&T’s reputation.”

Imbert denied that the complaint against Mark was a factor in this week’s delays for UNC MP Kamla Persad-Bissessar to attend CPA’s Malaysia conference.

“People bent over backwards to assist her. But if she emulates Mark’s behaviour there, she may not be free to, in future. Enough is enough,” Imbert added.

Opposition Leader Panday retorted:

“They’re scared of our participation. What is wrong with informing the world of what Government does and what occurs in T&T? We attend as a right. We have a duty to speak. But little by little, rights are being eroded.”

Behaviour and related issues will be such focal points when Parliament resumes September 5, that they threaten to crowd the legislative agenda of 60 bills listed for September 2008-July 2009. Seventeen bills were passed since January.

Running a close second has been the lane of activities heading to—and heading off—the Privileges Committee.

PNM members Imbert, Hazel Manning and Rennie Dumas headed off Opposition efforts to be hauled before the committee and the Opposition unsuccessfully attempted to get Prime Minister Patrick Manning sent there also.

UNC MPs Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj, Subhas Panday and Roodal Moonilal are before the committee for alleged remarks about the Speaker.

Government is seeking to “keep” Moonilal there following his decisions on last week’s Public Accounts Committee meeting.

And the PNM’s entire Lower House team was referred to the committee for failing to answer questions. Something Mark hopes to achieve with the Senate.

Also ahead is the Opposition’s motion to return Panday to the Parliament and its no-confidence motion against Manning.

Panday’s motion could shift to October if the 2009 budget debate takes place in September.

How matters unfold will be interesting since Government has majority votes from the chamber floor to committees.

But some matters may be dealt with in less intense ways .

To expedite work—especially in the Senate—members’ speaking time may be shortened by January 2009, Imbert said.

Upcoming sittings will examine the Standing Orders committee’s report on this, which was laid in Parliament last November but not debated, he said.

It suggests shortening MPs’ speaking time from the current total of 75 minutes to 45 minutes, and senators’ from the total of 60 to 40 minutes, Imbert noted.

Imbert said other suggestions to amend the Orders will “simplify” questions, eliminate excessive length and assist Government to reply quickly.

Kamla vexes Jack...

Meanwhile UNC’s Persad-Bis-sessar, who says she’ll carry out her party’s mandate to complain to the CPA conference about the Speaker, says she’ll be “substituting” for Panday.

Apart from her attendance at the conference, her role in helming this week’s UNC budget consultations has caused ripples since some view it as marking certain territory, UNC sources say.

Although the UNC will decide on August 6 who will deliver its budget reply—on which there were strong divisions at last week’s executive —Persad-Bissessar said in an e-mail to MPs she was mandated to organise the consultations.

The forum takes place in the absence of the other contender to deliver the budget reply, chief whip Maharaj, now in London.

Maharaj and Persad-Bissessar have both said they would feel slighted if they didn’t get to do the reply.

Maharaj—who’s handling two court cases for Panday—has said the person who does the reply will send signals about UNC successorship, sources said.

Yesterday, UNC MP Jack Warner said he’s queried the “indecent haste” by Persad-Bissessar to helm budget consultations.

“Especially in Ramesh’s absence. I’ve advocated he should do the budget reply. We’ve not decided who, yet there’s a rush with consultations. Let’s see what unfolds on August 6,” Warner added.