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UNC Senator Robin Montano SUSPENDED

By Ria Taitt, www.newsday.co.tt

Shortly after he was sworn in as a temporary UNC senator yesterday, Captain Gary Griffith found himself having to pick up his briefcase and walk out with the other UNC senators, after Robin Montano was suspended by Senate President Linda Baboolal. Griffith smiled sheepishly as he made his way out, receiving at the same time a congratulatory handshake from Independent Ramesh Deosaran on his senatorial appointment. The Senate was hot, from start to finish, but the high point in the bacchanal and bad behaviour came when Montano accused Baboolal repeatedly despite her warnings, of protecting the Government and dared her to "deal" with him.

It started when Senator Wade Mark began attacking National Security Minister Martin Joseph "for having the gumption" to admit to the country that he was a "puppet" of the "foreign forces" which asked him to send local troops and police down to Point Fortin to "brutalise" people. Mark said Joseph should follow Larry Achong's example, and do the honourable thing and resign. Joseph was not in the Senate at that time the statement was made. So Joan Yuille-Williams rose to object, pointing out that Joseph made no such admission. Baboolal, in seeking to clarify under what Standing Order Yuille-Williams was objecting, prompted: "I assume the Minister is saying that he (Mark) is imputing improper motives (to Joseph)." "Yes," Yuille-Williams replied. But at that point Montano shouted to Baboolal to stop protecting the Government. Baboolal, who had earlier taken exception to statements made by the UNC Senator after he made similar allegations of bias, began to lose her temper. "Senator Montano! Let me make a note to the Hansard reporters when that kind of thing is being said and I am on my feet, I don't even want it being recorded," she said sternly. But Montano persisted: "Well stop protecting the Government!" "I am on my feet senator," she warned. "Stop protecting the Government!" he repeated.

Wagging her index finger in his direction, Baboolal countered: "The next time you say that Senator Montano, the next time you accuse me of that, I am not going to accept it." "Well go ahead! he said. "Yuh telling me to go ahead?" she asked incredulously. "If you feel I am out of order, then deal with me! But you are protecting the Government!" he insisted. "Awh? Honourable members, I, um, this House is suspended for ten minutes," said a slightly flustered Baboolal, before walking away. But even after the President left to decide what to do with the errant MP, Montano and Government Minister, Rennie Dumas had it out in the chamber. "You're a bully!" Dumas shouted to Montano. "Like you!" Montano shouted back to Dumas. "You're a bully!" Dumas said, several decibels louder. "Go to hell!" Montano roared back at Dumas. "You're a bully! Using abusive language", Dumas said. Montano, in an effort to drown out Dumas' deep mellifluous voice: "Go to hell, go to hell, go to hell!". "I stand up for my rights," he yelled. But Dumas wasn't giving away either, "You're a bully," he thundered and turning to several government ministers, including Danny Montano, bellowed: "He's a bully!."

Montano continued to shout back: "I am standing up for my rights! And I am not afraid of you or anybody else! Talk all yuh want!" At this point, his colleagues Senator Jennifer Jones-Kernahan, tried to pacify him, but this seemed to rile Montano even more. " Let him go to hell! I am not taking that." Senator Seepersad Bachan placed her hand on his. "I not taking the bias, no more," Montano insisted. When Baboolal returned, after the 15- minute break, she inflicted the penalty available to the Senate President against a misbehaving MP and suspended Montano, under Standing Order 43 ( 3) a) and b) for the rest of the sitting. "I will now ask Senator Montano to leave the chamber," she said. Montano began to pack up when Mark rose to ask on what basis Montano was being suspended. Baboolal told him to read Standing Order 43 (3) a) and b). Mark raised the question of provocation. But Baboolal replied that Montano had more than once, and more than one sitting, been abusive to the Chair and questioned the ruling of the Chair.

Saying that the Opposition felt strongly about this matter, Mark served notice that the Opposition planned to file a motion of no-confidence in the Senate President and would be leaving with Montano as a mark of protest. It was Private Members' Day and the Senate was debating a motion filed by Mark asking Government to reaffirm its commitment to the elimination of discrimination. With the mover of the motion gone, the Senate agreed to move on to Government Business. Earlier in the sitting the Opposition refused to ask any of the questions on the Order Paper because it disagreed with Baboolal's decision to accept Leader of Government Business Dr Lenny Saith's explanation that he had tried without success in getting Minister of Trade, Ken Valley to answer a question in time for yesterday's sitting.

Mark wanted the issue, of whether Government should be given a one week deferral on the answer, put to a vote, but Baboolal ruled that the matter should not be put before the House, since she had ruled on it. Montano had objected and had accused Baboolal of bias. To which Baboolal responded sarcastically: "I am being bias, can we move on to Question No 44 (the next question on the Order Paper). But none of the Opposition Senators opted to ask their question since as Mark put it, they refused to engage in any further questions, in the light of Baboolal's decision. "You are not the first line of defence for the Government," Montano charged, adding that he wanted to discuss this issue as a definite matter of urgent public importance. Baboolal ignored him then, but couldn't later on.

Trinidad and Tobago News

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