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Parliament proves Ramjattan wrong

Feb 25, 2010 News

Speaker produces evidence that records not tampered with

Opposition Parliamentarian Khemraj Ramjattan says that he will apologise to Parliament today over comments which appeared in Kaieteur News to the effect that the Parliament records were tampered with.
Ramjattan said that he was prepared to make the apology after Speaker Ralph Ramkarran played for the benefit of the National Assembly, audio recordings of the January 11 Parliamentary Sitting when the Housing Minister Irfaan Ali was defending the government’s appeal to the House to approve $4 billion in supplementary budgetary spending for the Housing sector.
Ramjattan quoted the Hansard (the verbatim parliamentary record) as saying that the Minister said “We are ready” to spend the money; however, Ramjattan claimed the parliamentary record was tampered with since it should have quoted the Minister as saying “We have spent it already.”
But in the recording played in the House yesterday, the Minister in fact said “We are ready.” Ramjattan said he was therefore prepared to apologise to the parliamentary staff who are responsible for recording and editing Parliamentary debates.
Ramjattan had reported his suspicion of alleged tampering to the Speaker on Monday.  The Speaker said the evening of the same day he requested the Clerk to investigate.
In a statement he read out in the House, the Speaker said he therefore would have expected Ramjattan to await the results of the investigation before making a public allegation.
The Speaker said that the staff at the Parliament Office was “deeply pained” at Mr Ramjattan’s allegation and said he expected both Ramjattan and Kaieteur News to make an appropriate statement given that the record was made clear.
Mr Ramkarran said that the staff of the Parliament Office has shown dedication, commitment and integrity to the House” in all the nine years he has served as Speaker.
Kaieteur News Editor, Adam Harris, said that he regretted the inadequacy of the reporter to present the kind of story for which Kaieteur News is known.
“Kaieteur News apologises to the Speaker, his staff and the National Assembly for publishing a report that contained an erroneous statement,” Harris stated.
While Mr Ramjattan said he was prepared to apologise for saying the Parliamentary record was tampered with, he was still prepared to defend the essence of his argument, namely that the money was already spent.
He showed Kaieteur News Reference 156, Agency Code Number 45 in the 2010 Budget Estimates, which caters for the construction of roads and water distribution networks in areas such as Anna Catherina, Plantation Schoonord and Hope Estates and also for the provision of infrastructure for electricity at Onderneeming, Section D Non Pareil and Hope Estate.
According to the estimates the total project cost is $5.1 billion.
Ramjattan’s point is that the estimates list the actual amount budgeted for this year as $680 million and the amount spent before 2010, and therefore the amount “already spent,” as $4.3 billion.
Ramjattan is expected to make his statement today before the House reconvenes for consideration of the 2010 Budget estimates.

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