00:00The role for cutting the municipalities, whether it's a borough, whether it's a regional corporation or a city, that is
00:08the work of the parliament.
00:13And that is what this bill is doing today. That is the law.
00:17Prime Minister Kamala Passat besets his response to concerns raised by the opposition in the House of Representatives about the
00:232026 Municipal Corporations Bill.
00:25Among the opposition MPs who raised the concerns, San Fernando East MP Brian Manning.
00:33They are using the law to violate the spirit of the Constitution by bringing in the popular vote.
00:40In the first-past-the-post system that we have in this country, delegate system, there is nothing about first
00:46-past, about popularity vote, Madam Deputy Speaker.
00:49That is meaningless. But they want to introduce it at the local government level.
00:53The Prime Minister dismissed that claim and made reference to MP Manning's concerns about operations of the past PNM constituency
01:01executive in San Fernando East
01:04and his mother, a former local government minister, offering herself as a candidate to chair that executive.
01:12And the member of San Fernando East said, we're going to look for mommy now.
01:15Who am I?
01:16Who don't know?
01:17Who am I?
01:18Because the member didn't know, his A from B, he didn't know anything talking about law, attempted to talk about
01:26law and constitutional breaches.
01:28There's not a single constitutional breach in this bill.
01:31One.
01:33Opposition leader PNP Beckels has summarized the opposition's concerns.
01:38It is very interesting that the government will come and say that the purpose of the bill in the main
01:44is the boundaries and to deal with crossing of the floor
01:47and persons who just decide for whatever reason that they're moving from one political party and going over to the
01:54next political party.
01:56And to make it very clear that this bill is not about local government reform.
02:01Prime Minister Pusab-Bissessa maintained the government's position that it wants to improve the local government system.
02:07Now you say people get vexed with the UNC, disgusted, and it crossed the floor.
02:11But people get vexed with the PNM and crossed the floor too.
02:14So let's be real.
02:15Section 49 is in the Constitution.
02:18And that was a provision placed there, I think, by Mr. Manning.
02:23Is it Manning, I believe?
02:24Oh.
02:26Yes, Mr. Manning Sr.
02:34A reference to an amendment to the Constitution, which the Prime Minister recalled to have occurred during the tenure of
02:40the deceased former Prime Minister, Patrick Manning.
02:44And so that provision, if that can happen for elected members of Parliament,
02:48then what is wrong if it happens if a consular jumps the floor or an old man jumps the floor?
02:53Well, and that is what the provision in this bill is giving us the opportunity for correcting those things that
03:01happen in the politics of the day.
03:04The Municipal Corporations Bill, having been passed by the House of Representatives, is now on its way to the Senate.
03:11Jewel Brown, TV6 News.
03:12Jewel Brown, TV6 News.
