PPP will appear for Budget Day - Luncheon

PPP will appear for Budget Day – Luncheon

Aug 01, 2015 News

Come Budget Day on August 10, the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) will make its first appearance in Parliament since it lost the 2015 General and Regional Elections.

PPP Executive Member, Dr. Roger Luncheon

This is according to executive party member, Dr. Roger Luncheon, who stressed the party’s interest in the parliamentary process.
In fact, he said, the “entire slate will be there for the purposes of the budget”.
Dr. Luncheon made the statement during the PPP’s most recent press conference held at its headquarters, Freedom House.
Commenting on the PPP’s entrance into Parliament, Dr. Luncheon assured the public that the 11th Parliament would be constituted as designed.
“In other words, a governing party – or in this case a governing coalition – and an opposition will be implanted in an attempt to discharge the constitutional roles of Parliament.”
He further said that the new PPP parliamentarians have undergone training in conjunction with Parliament as part of the party’s return. An induction exercise, he said, occurred on Wednesday and saw 10 of the party’s members participating.
He added that the party’s participation on Budget Day has been translated by the PPP’s Chief Whip, Gail Teixeira.
Teixeira is no stranger to the post and had functioned in the capacity for the PPP for a number of years.
Luncheon confirmed that former President Bharrat Jagdeo will “no doubt” be the Leader of the Opposition in the 11th Parliament.
Meanwhile, questions still surround the appearance of PPP member, Dr. Jennifer Westford in the 11th Parliament. On Wednesday, Westford was slapped with four charges in relation to a vehicle scam at the Public Service Ministry.
Westford is also reportedly being investigated in relation to another fraud at the Ministry.
When questioned on whether Westford would still appear in Parliament as one of the PPP’s 32 parliamentarians, Luncheon said that she was “innocent until proven guilty”. However, in the next breath, he conceded that perceptions held by the general public were also important.
“In politics, they say, perception is politics,” he added.
He went on to stress that a decision has not yet been made in relation to Westford. “We have not made a decision; what we are deciding is the extent to which the perceptions of which you speak of will impact or influence the decisions of the executive and the leadership of the party.”
He refused to further elaborate on whether his comments meant that the PPP was discussing possibly keeping Westford out of Parliament.
The same position is apparently being taken in relation to former Minister of Health, Dr. Bheri Ramsaran, who was charged just a day after Westford with using insulting language against a female human rights’ activist.
The PPP has been noticeably missing from Parliament since the commencement on June 10, last. Following the 2015 elections, the PPP won 32 of 65 parliamentary seats. However, it had expressed contention at the results and refused to attend parliament in protest of what it deems a “de facto government”.