OPPOSITION Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar said Government does not have the power to recall Parliament to make urgent changes to the Procurement Act.
Addressing a PNM meeting in Tunapuna on Thursday, the Prime Minister said he instructed Leader of Government Business Camille Robinson-Regis to recall the House of Representatives on July 19 to make amendments to the procurement legislation.
The Senate will also be required to sit to deal with this matter.
Speaking at a news conference at her constituency office in Penal on Friday, Persad-Bissessar said, "This government has consistently acted illegally."
"Parliamentarians are lawmakers, not lawbreakers."
She added, "This is another example of law-breaking."
Persad-Bissessar said this pattern began last year when Government extended the life of local government bodies by one year to facilitate local government reform.
As a result, local government elections (which were then due by March 2023) were postponed to March 2024.
In its judgment on May 18, the Privy Council said the extension of the life of local government bodies was unlawful. But it did not deem the extension a constitutional breach or that it deprived people of the right to vote.
As a result of the judgment, Dr Rowley announced that the elections would on August 14.
Persad-Bissessar said, "It is our view that they are breaking the law once again by saying that Camille Robinson-Regis is instructed to recall the Parliament."
She referred to the House's standing orders, the Constitution and Erskine May's Parliamentary Practice to support her argument.
Under the doctrine of separation of powers, Persad-Bissessar said Rowley cannot instruct the Judiciary how to conduct its affairs.
"In the same way, the Prime Minister cannot instruct that the leader of government business recalls the Parliament at a time when we are in a recess.
Persad-Bissessar reminded the media that the House's standing orders were connected to Section 56 (1) of the Constitution which allows the House and Senate to regulate their respective affairs.
Standing order 14 states the House will be in fixed recess annually, from the first week in July to the first week in September. The Senate's standing orders cater for the same recess.
While the Parliament is in recess, Persad-Bissessar said, "We are in the middle of a local government election campaign."
She had no idea what were the Government's intentions in having Parliament reconvened now.
"He (Rowley) says amendments to the procurement law."
The Opposition, Persad-Bissessar continued, cannot properly address those amendments or make counter proposals if they don't know what those amendments are.
Referring to two legal notices approved by Finance Minister Colm Imbert to approve exemptions to the procurement act, Persad-Bissessar said, "We caught them in a sense with their hands in the cookie jar."
She believed the amendments that Government will bring next week will help them "to put their hands deeper down inside of the cookie jar."
Persad-Bisses
