PNM
starts retreat today
Port Spain
Petroleumworldtt.com
11 11 07
THE
NEW Cabinet of Prime Minister Patrick Manning and
all of the
People’s National Movement (PNM) General
Election candidates begin a five-day retreat today
at the Salybia Resort and Spa in East Trinidad
as they prepare their plans to govern Trinidad
and Tobago.
Against this background and the new Cabinet holding
its first meeting on November 19, the ceremonial
opening of the Ninth Parliament appears likely
to take place on November 23 at the Red House.
The ceremony would be the last time that President
George Maxwell Richards has the chance to address
both Houses of Parliament before he demits office
in March 2008.
On
Friday, 11 women were sworn in as government
ministers with the most prominent being Brigid
Annisette-George as the country’s third female
Attorney- General and Manning’s wife Hazel
moving from Education to Local Government Minister.
Veteran government senator Danny Montano is reportedly
tipped to become the new Senate President. Tobago
East MP Rennie Dumas replaced Montano as Labour
Minister and Montano said Dumas will do great things
with his former ministry.
Barry Sinanan returns as Speaker of the House
of Representatives while Arima MP Pennelope Beckles
is tipped to be appointed Deputy Speaker to succeed
Hedwidge Bereaux who did not stand for re-election.
Under the Constitution, the Deputy Speaker is an
elected member of the House but must not be a government
minister or parliamentary secretary.
Sunday
Newsday learnt yesterday that work is proceeding
apace to prepare the Red House’s parliamentary
chamber for its new members and November 16 has
been identified as a tentative date for the opening
of the new Parliament.
Given
today’s retreat and the first Cabinet
meeting taking place on November 19, sources said
the new parliamentary term should be opened on
November 23. Diego Martin North/East MP Colm Imbert
seems likely to be the new Leader of Government
Business in the House given his seniority within
the Cabinet and having acted in that position on
several occasions in the Eighth Parliament.
Ken Valley, who was Leader of Government Business
in that Parliament, did not stand for re-election.
Meanwhile,
the Opposition United National Congress Alliance
(UNC A) is taking its time to decide who
will be its Chief Whip in the House. Siparia MP
and former Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar
declined yesterday to say whether she was one of
the Opposition MPs in line for the post. She said
that was “the call of the (UNCA) Political
Leader” and new Opposition Leader Basdeo
Panday.
Persad-Bissessar
said while the UNCA’s national
executive meets at Rienzi Complex in Couva every
Wednesday, she was uncertain when the executive
would meet next to decide upon a Chief Whip. Tabaquite
MP Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj has been tipped as the
front runner for Opposition Chief Whip, having
held that post during the UNCA’s stint in
Opposition and the prominent role he played in
the recently ended election campaign.
Sources
claimed that Maharaj has already been chosen
in principle as Chief Whip and will wield
significant power over all of the UNCA’s
internal committees.
When
Sunday Newsday called Maharaj’s San
Fernando law chambers Friday, his staff said Maharaj
was out of the country until this week.
UNCA
deputy leader Wade Mark who was defeated in the
Pointe-a-Pierre seat by the PNM’s
Christine Kangaloo said the party has not determined
its six Opposition senators.
Mark, who was Senate Opposition Leader in the
last Parliament, said Panday would determine whether
he is part of the next senatorial line-up. The
UNCA has to fill three spots in the Senate since
Dr Tim Gopeesingh was elected Caroni East MP while
Mark and Dr Jennifer Jones Kernahan (La Horquetta/Talparo)
lost their seats.
Mark said there was nothing in law preventing
defeated candidates from being nominated as senators
and only the PNM held that rule.
Story
by Clint
Chan Tack from
Trinidad's Newsday
Sunday, November 11 2007
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