Chief Whip Dr Roodal Moonilal says the government's $1 million provision to the Integrity Commission in the 2016 national budget seems to be part of a plan to "starve the commission of resources."
Moonilal said this in response to a question from the T&T Guardian on the issue.
Moonilal said the PNM, during the September 7 general election campaign, "promised to shut down the Integrity Commission. They seem to be on course to starve the commission of resources so that they can stymie their work."
Moonilal said such action "undermines our democracy by suppressing institutions that are geared to promote transparency and good governance."
He said the small allocation "may also be related to the fact that this commission threw out the fabricated emails, which effectively meant that Rowley was embarrassed to say the least."
The email case, known as Emailgate, stemmed from a claim by Rowley that the then prime minister and other cabinet ministers were engaged in a plot to kill a journalist over her publication of a story on the proclamation of a section of the Administration of Justice (Indictable Proceedings) Bill in August 2012.
The PNM Opposition had claimed then that the legislation was proclaimed to allow former financiers of the PP Government to escape court proceedings that might lead to their extradition to the United States to answer charges related to the controversial Piarco Airport development project under a former UNC government.
And former works and infrastructure minister Surujrattan Rambachan also commented on the matter yesterday, saying the Integrity Commission remains an important institution "in the ethical framework" of the country.
Rambachan said, consequently, "institutions like the Integrity Commission must be funded so that they can remain independent in order to do their work without fear or favour."
He said the commission "came under fierce criticism" from Rowley "and it is left to be seen what kind of approach the Government will take with respect to funding the commission and also protecting this institution."
He said there must be constitutional protection for the Integrity Commission.
Chairman of the Commission Justice Zainool Hosein said he was not aware of the commission's allocation in the budget, adding that it would have to meet to discuss the matter at the appropriate time.
Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar was expected to speak on this and other issues when she led off debate on the $63 billion 2016 national budget in the House of Representatives yesterday morning.
The debate was expected to go into the night and resume today.