That is how tricky it really is with those guys on the Opposition benches in
the Lower House, even though they skin teeth and appear to be speaking with
one another.
But as the saying goes, all skin teeth is not smile.
With Singh having been sidelined by the Panday faction of the UNC and, even worse,
being in a position where the party does not have the mechanism in place to discipline
him, he can create real trouble in the Lower House.
But Adesh bummed out, even before he hit the ground, as all he did at the news
conference was to explain that he had written letters to 58 ambassadors, prime
ministers and other dignitaries around the world, in a bid to bring their attention
to the Vernon Paul allegations.
Neither he nor Mark realised how juvenile they sounded in trying to refer a domestic
dispute to all and sundry.
Especially since all we know, so far, is that the PNM and the UNC have been throwing
allegations at each other, which leave them both as the main suspects in the
disgusting affair.
Nevertheless, Singh was not convincing enough either, and did not have enough
back-up from incisive commentators like Kelvin Ramnath and even Kamla Persad-Bissessar,
both of whom were capable of stirring up enough trouble, to take the debate to
another level, by creating bacchanal as a smokescreen.
Ganga was like the cheese standing alone and fizzed out from the first word,
as he rambled along about the nation losing its soul, seemingly unable to be
original enough to use his own words and quoting extensively from stuff written
by other people in the newspapers.
His boss, Basdeo Panday, was as cool as a cucumber, as he sat next to Ganga reading
a book, hardly muttering a word across the floor as he usually does.
Opposition MPs -- save for Winston Dookeran and Gerald Yetming -- who did not
speak on that afternoon, hardly ever think for themselves and research is confined
to reading newspaper articles into the records of the Lower House.
And as it turned out, Adesh had no reason to be insecure as he eventually repeated
all that he said at the news conference, as the lone back up for Singh on that
afternoon.
Still, even though the ruling party has dismissed the allegations as ludicrous,
it seemed to have pulled out all stops to protect its members.
Attorney General John Jeremie and National Security Minister Martin Joseph sitting
next to each other in the Lower House, prepping for a debate, made you think
that it was a big issue of national interest.
The AG even had a few words for Speaker Barry Sinanan, as the photo shows.
But all of that came to naught in the end.
Jeremie said nothing new, really, except to threaten arrest over the Desalcott
deal that was concluded during the UNC administration.
And it was clear that he was aiming his guns at Singh, who a few days earlier
told the TnT Mirror that he had “no money hiding in any foreign bank account”.
The only new thing the AG had to say was that he spoke with Bilaal Abdullah and
Larry Achong on the evening before he came to Parliament, and was convinced by
their version of events.
That must have been the full extent of the investigations, which is sad because
it was a straight case of himself unto himself, in that instance.
But the PNM was certainly more aggressive with the Desalcott investigations.
Meanwhile, the people of this country will be happy for all the criminals to
face the courts.
And if another UNC member is charged with corruption it would only redound to
the benefit of the party -- and the country by extension -- which will obviously
come out with cleaner stables.
Who, then, will help the PNM to clean its stables?
Jeremie clearly could not answer that one!
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