New St Joseph MP Terrence Deyalsingh will sit on the Opposition front row, shifting San Fernando MP Patrick Manning's seat to the back bench, according to People's National Movement (PNM) deputy leader Marlene McDonald.He will take his new seat halfway down the PNM front bench when the Lower House resumes at Tower D, Waterfront Centre, Port-of-Spain, at 1.30 pm today after a lengthy break.
Last Tuesday after Deyalsingh won the St Joseph seat McDonald told the T&T Guardian the new MP would be placed on the Opposition back row, immediately behind her.But yesterday she said Deyalsingh's seat would be between MPs Fitzgerald Jeffrey and Amery Browne.This will shift other PNM MPs–Browne, Alicia Hospedales, Joanne Thomas and Paula Gopee-Scoon–down a notch. Gopee-Scoon will now become the last MP on the PNM's front row.
McDonald said former prime minister Manning's seat has been shifted to the Opposition backbench, immediately behind her front-row seat.PNM leader Dr Keith Rowley will sit on her left. Manning's new seat also places him five seats away from ILP leader Jack Warner, who is also on the backbench. Manning has been on leave from Parliament since suffering a stroke in January 2012.
He is on extended sick leave until year-end. He was in his daily therapy session yesterday and unavailable to comment on the parliamentary change of his seat.Deyalsingh's win in the November 4 St Joseph by-election now gives the PNM 13 seats.With the loss of St Joseph and Chaguanas West in July to ILP's Warner, the People's Partnership administration's 29-seat majority of 2010 has been reduced to 27 seats at its mid-term mark.
McDonald said there had been no discussion on who would replace Deyalsingh in the Senate, as Rowley, whose prerogative that is, is out of T&T and would miss today's House session.She could not comment on names tipped for the Senate appointment, including front-runner former Senator Christine Sahadeo, former Senator Mariano Browne and several attorneys.
Today's agenda focuses on nominations for new Police Service commissioners, including incumbents Martin George and Addison Khan, plus new nominees Dr James Armstrong and Roamar Achat-Saney, whose nominations are surrounded with controversy concerning their suitability.
The agenda also includes questions on various aspects of Caribbean Airlines Ltd operations–from wet lease arrangements and routes–plus details surrounding the controversial firetruck which was involved in an accident in November 2012 and which the National Security Ministry, under then Minister Jack Warner, paid $6.8 million to retrieve from a precipice in Blanchisseuse.