Camille Robinson-Regis Calls Government's Stance on Committees a 'Ruse' to Avoid Accountability

The current political climate in Trinidad and Tobago is fraught with tension as Opposition MP Camille Robinson-Regis has voiced strong criticism against the Government's handling of parliamentary committee sittings. Robinson-Regis asserts that the Government's actions, particularly its stance on committee representation, constitute a "wilful and dangerous" choice to evade accountability to the citizens. This perspective, shared by many in the Opposition, frames the Government's maneuvers not as procedural disputes but as deliberate tactics to obstruct oversight.

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If the Government is using this ruse to not have to account to the people of Trinidad and Tobago, then we all have to look at them askance!

The recent adjournment of the Joint Select Committee on National Security, triggered by a motion to remove Opposition Senator Janelle John-Bates, highlights the deep divisions. The cited conflict of interest, arising from her assistance to a former minister, has been met with skepticism by the Opposition, who view it as a pretext. Robinson-Regis argues that the Government should not dictate which opposition members are acceptable, emphasizing that committees are fundamental instruments of accountability, not tools of convenience for the ruling party.

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While the House and the Senate establish committees, it is for each side to determine its own representation. The majority may express a view, but it is not the function of the Government to dictate which Opposition members it is prepared to face.

Furthermore, Robinson-Regis has leveled accusations of bias against the House Speaker, Jagdeo Singh, particularly concerning his chairmanship of the Public Administration and Appropriations Committee. She contends that the "standards" the Government professes to uphold are applied unevenly. The Opposition questions why similar outrage and action have not been directed towards the Speaker, given his alleged interest in an ongoing inquiry. This critique suggests a pattern where political expediency and control supersede genuine commitment to integrity and fair parliamentary practice, echoing the sentiment that "politics has a morality of its own."

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Indeed, if ‘standards’ are to be invoked, they must be applied evenly. Whilst the Government is shouting from the rooftops about ‘standards’ what we are seeing is an uneven and unequal application. Where is the similar type outrage and action against Speaker Jagdeo Singh, for example, who is serving as chairman of the PAAC, although he has a clear and present interest in the current enquiry?