Is Delay With 13th Senator Related to Senate Select Committee?

Kareem Musa

Opposition representative Kareem Musa acknowledges the steadfast effort of the B.N.T.U. in forcing government to sign the commencement order.  However, he believes that the three-month delay in appointing the N.G.O. representative is a deliberate move to prevent another senator from being named to the Senate Select Committee.  That individual, according to Musa, would also be able to cast a vote should a need arise.

Kareem Musa, Area Representative, Caribbean Shores

“None of this would have been possible without their action, their industrial action against this administration.  As you know, the thirteenth senator has been a campaign promise from the U.D.P. administration from before the 2008 elections and actually they amended the constitution in 2008.  But from since then to now, that’s eight years that has gone by and this prime minister has not enacted the thirteenth senator until today, and again, thanks completely due to the B.N.T.U. for their pressure for bringing the pressure on this administration.  Now the prime minister has enacted it today but for some reason he is now saying that he will not appoint the thirteenth senator.  Again we are seeing delays even after eight years, even further delays.  He is saying that for another three months he will not be appointing the thirteenth senator.  I find that completely out of order, there is no reasonable justification for the prime minister to once again delay the appointment of the thirteenth senator.  The prime minister knows the database of all the N.G.O.s in the country, it is easily accessible.  He can go to the companies registry and find the list of N.G.O.s and it is those N.G.O.s that will be appointing the senator.  So there is no reasonable justification to not have that senator appointed today.  As you know, there is a senate select committee that is investigating the Auditor General’s report right now, as we speak.  It is my opinion that the reason the prime minister has not appointed the thirteenth senator is because he is fearful of that thirteenth senator being on that senate select committee.  That would be just another vote and he does not know how that vote will go, unlike Ashley Rocke.  He knows very well how Ashley Rocke will vote but he does not know who is the thirteenth senator and so in my opinion that is the true reason for the delay.”