Opposition walks out

Members of the Opposition Barbados Labour Party walked out of Parliament yesterday after the attempt to lay the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report resulted in protests from several government ministers.

The issue arose when Opposition Leader Mia Mottley, the Chairperson for the PAC, sought to table the 2013-2018 document at the beginning of the Lower House’s proceedings – a move that was objected to by Minister of Industry, International Business, Commerce and Small Business Development, Donville Inniss, on the basis that as a member of the PAC he had not seen the final report.

“I think any report of such importance ought to be fully reviewed by all members before it is laid in Parliament,” Inniss stated, adding that he had not been informed of the last meeting of the PAC where the document had been finalised.

However, Mottley insisted that adequate notice had been given, noting that on Wednesday February 21, each committee member was emailed a copy of the final report.

She also claimed that with the exception of Inniss and Parliamentary Secretary Senator Jepter Ince, no other committee member from government’s side had attended the PAC meetings.

“Any attempt now to say that they were not part of it is because they chose not to be a part of it, and any attempt now to say that they did not have sight of it is because they chose not to have sight of it, but Madame Deputy Speaker the work has been done. The Prime Minister wants evidence? Over to you, Prime Minister,” Mottley remarked.

After almost 20 minutes of the issue being debated back and forth across the floor with additional input from Ministers Richard Sealy and Stephen Lashley, the Opposition Leader and her members walked out of the sitting, leading to a 20-minute recess while Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House Michael Carrington and Mara Thompson conferred on the matter.

The decision was taken that the document would not be accepted at that time. (JMB)