APNU stands alone as security allocation is passed uncut

Last Updated on Saturday, 26 December 2015, 21:02 by GxMedia

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Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee faces questions on the security allocations. The National Assembly Friday Night approved the $17.5B allocation for the security sector without amendments despite a lack of support from the APNU for sums budgeted for the Home Affairs Ministry. The Alliance For Change had proposed several cuts under the home ministry but at the time of the vote on the provisions party leader Khemraj Ramjattan indicated that they would not “prosecute” the cuts.

The APNU had been saying for months that it would not approve any monies for the ministry once Clement Rohee remained its minister. The coalition had tried first to have the minister removed from that portfolio by way of a no confidence motion and following the failure of that motion had sought to gag him in the House. The APNU said it ad lost confidence in the minister’s handling of his portfolio since coming to the office six years ago.

A reversal of that decision saw the APNU adopting the position of not recognising Rohee as the home minister. The coalition asked no questions on the allocations during the consideration of the estimates for Secretariat Services with an empathic no being the only sound from its benches when the matter was put to the vote.

The AFC abstained and the PPP/C carried the vote 30-25. Allocations for the Disciplined Services and the General Register’s Office were passed unchallenged.

In recent days the APNU had said that it would be looking to strike a balance in its approach to the ministry so that the public would not be hurt by its actions.