Will Nagamootoo be disciplined for lying to Parliament?
Wednesday, 06 February 2013 18:33 ALLIANCE for Change (AFC) Vice Chairman and Member of Parliament who deliberately lied to Parliament at its last session may face serious disciplinary action for misleading the National Assembly. Nagamootoo, who is usually vocal, has since been silent on the matter and could not be reached for a comment up to press time.
Following the embarrassing revelation at the January 25, 2013, sitting of the National Assembly, Nagamootoo misrepresented his position as it relates to his true position on the Former Presidents Pension and Other Benefits Act back in 2009, while a member of the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C).
Other Parliamentarians and other members of society are now wondering whether Parliament will impose some sort of sanction on him using the Committee of Privileges to ventilate the matter. Many are of the view that Nagamootoo should be disciplined, noting that it would act as a deterrent to other members of Parliament who may be tempted to pursue this unfortunate and unwholesome behavior pattern of deliberately trying to mislead the general public and the House on specific issues.
Describing the actions of Nagamootoo as “ alarmingly unethical and disrespectful “, one parliamentarian noted that while Members of Parliament enjoy certain privileges that ordinary citizens do not , thereby protecting their utterances from legal action, it is the expected that they conduct themselves with decorum and uphold the truth, and these privileges should not be abused. Attorney General Anil Nandlall, in a recent interview with Current Issues and Analysis (CIA) on TVG, reiterated this position cautioning that sanctions can be brought to bear on deliberate acts aimed at misleading the House.
Nagamootoo, during the debate on a bill to repeal the former president’s benefits last week, said while an executive of the incumbent PPP, he had rejected the bill which he said was extravagant. He maintained that he never supported the bill, stating that “ The opposition I had raised to this piece of legislation being introduced is that it would give uncapped benefits to a former president. When I said that my soul rattled, they would not have faced the predicament that they faced with the guyanese people in the last election if they had heeded my warning” But Attorney General Anil Nandlall, who was a PPP/C back-bencher at that time, challenged Nagamootoo and said he had evidence the now AFC executive voted for the bill.
Nandlall presenting the Hansard (Transcript of the sitting of the National Assembly) of April 30, 2009, read the voting pattern which showed that Nagamootoo indeed voted for the 2009 Former President’s Benefits and Other Facilities Bill. Addressing the House, Mr. Nandlall posited “When the Bill, the Law, the 2009 Law was passed in the National Assembly, my learned friend and I sat on this side of the House next to each other. He told us that it rattled his soul.
Well I was sitting right there, I didn’t feel or hear any rattle. But more important I have the record of how he voted, I have the record, the Hansard, of how he voted, because a Division was called. You see when we speak and we catapult ourselves on pedestals, we must ensure that the record will support us. A division was called in the National Assembly and I have the votes and I will read the names of those who voted for the Bill” he then went on to list the names of eight members of Parliament , among which was Nagamootoo’s. As Nandlall read the PPP/C votes of April 2009, Nagamootoo shook his head in disagreement and even asked Nandlall for the date of the Hansard.
In a subsequent sitting of the National Assembly, Nagamootoo in a futile attempt, sought to defend his lies by stating that he voted along party lines. “I did say that my soul rattled. I opposed bitterly the legislation. That I voted on the bill does not necessarily mean that I supported it,” he said. “I had no conscience vote. I had to vote along party lines. I never fought against the pensions but against the benefits and other facilities,” Nagamootoo said.
Many persons have since expressed their confusion with this latest futile attempt by the PPP defect to redeem his unethical behavior, noting that it would have served him better had he simply admitted that he lied. “ It’s almost unbelievable that he would say that the fact that he voted on the Bill does not mean he supported it, what else could it mean? And to say he had to vote along party lines is ludicrous, if he was against the Bill he could have taken an ethical, principled position and voted against it. It’s obvious he was in favour of the Bill, but started to speak differently only after he left the party, another parliamentarian opined.