Tables turn for Senator Godwin Hulse

Lisa Shoman

And with that out of the way, the last two speakers were leader of government business Godwin Hulse and Opposition Senator Lisa Shoman. It was an unenviable position for Senator Hulse. He once fought for motions like the one being debated, and he is considered one of the champions of the SSB Senate Inquiry. But now the tables have turned and he is a government Senator, and apparently a champion of other, more politically driven hard lines. Senator Shoman remained adamant that it was the duty of the Senate to investigate the atrocities of the Immigration Scandal. But Hulse says all that is well and good…but now is not the time. Here are the highlights of the extended debate between Shoman and Hulse.

Lisa Shoman, Opposition Senator

“I don’t know about anybody else, but I can tell you about Lisa Shoman. I do not intend that any history book in the future says that faced with…I’ll borrow my friends word…faced with the atrocities that have been revealed in the media…faced with the atrocities of irregularities of which we still don’t know the details which alone makes it an atrocity…that we don’t know the extent – that faced with them we sat back and did nothing.”

Godwin Hulse, Leader of Government Business

Godwin Hulse

“In this particular case the Department of Immigration is a government department…it’s not a statutory body. And therefore no private auditor or other group can go in there to audit over the Auditor-General. Yes, the Senate may be disappointed with the Auditor-General’s report or his failure to and then may summon him to find out what was the reason. But until such time, he or she….and in this case it is she…must be given the opportunity to complete the exercise.”

Lisa Shoman

“My friends have made much of the Auditor-General and the Auditor-General reports and her functions and her responsibilities and not one word of what they said is untrue in terms of responsibilities, functions and law. But I will tell you one thing Mr. President…the Auditor-General is not a horse, and this is not the cart. The Senate is not the cart of the Auditor-General’s horse. Mek we get that clear.”

Godwin Hulse

“The Senate could (d) institute and conduct inquiries and investigations on any matter of public interest or importance including inquiries on mismanagement or corruption by persons in central government or public statutory bodies…and it will. When it gets the Auditor-General’s report it could send for anybody…convene a thing and you think at that time I will stand here and say no? And it says two (e) receive and review and report on annual reports of the Auditor-General or other reports. This is not an annual report, this is another report….and to institute and conduct inquiries, investigations and hearings in relation thereto and that is the step that we await. And that is when the Senate will spring into action…not now.”

Lisa Shoman

“I still have that hope…I still have that infinite hope that I will persuade members to join us. I still have that hope that the six of you sitting there appointed by the government will join the three social partner senators and the three senators appointed by the leader of the opposition. I invite you to join us to take up your responsibility…to take up your powers and functions as set up by the supreme law of the land which is the Constitution.”

The senate session continued well after six o’clock and we’ll have all the memorable moments later in the newscast.