Opposition senator Fitzgerald Hinds says there is widespread corruption taking place at the Licensing Department.He made that claim during his contribution to yesterday's Senate debate on a bill to amend the Road Traffic Act.The legislation seeks to provide for the issuance of special identification marks to be carried on the registration plates of motor vehicles owned by diplomats as well as to regulate the sizes and colour of the plates and letters and the manner of displaying such plates.
"There is a tremendous amount of corruption there, everybody knowns that. It is riddled with corruption," Hinds said, causing Works and Transport Minister Emmanuel George to respond, saying: "Not true, not true."Senate President Timothy Hamel-Smith cautioned Hinds about referring to matters which did not form part of the bill being debated.
Independent senator Corinne Baptiste-McKnight, in her brief contribution, said she felt the matter being debated was a very simple one. She said she did not expect such "an arduous and torturous journey towards getting to the point of agreeing to have distinctive licence plates for diplomatic personnel."
Baptiste-McKnight, a former diplomat, said the Government should know that under the arrangement that provides for insurance for the diplomatic officers it will have no control."They will all have insurance–comprehensive, third party–but mark my word the first time that any of them has a real problem and the insurance is required to pay up, the insurance companies will claim the immunity," she said.She said that has been happening throughout the world.
"They take the premium and when it is time for them to pay up, they say my client is immune," she added.