Government Senator Foster Cummings has put forward a suggestion that Opposition Senators who walked out of the Upper House yesterday should face a salary cut.
Cummings raised the issue during his contribution to the budget debate in the Senate yesterday.
He said it was disturbing to see that on the last day of the debate the Opposition chose “to play politics instead of attending to the business of the people,” by ducking and running.
Cummings said if the People’s Partnership government had ensured that box drains were properly constructed during their tenure “we may not have seen some of the disaster that fell over the last week.”
Without calling names, Cummings said just as employers would deduct wages from their employees’ salaries when they do not show up for work “if we have people in this country who refuse to do their job, then, maybe, it is time in this Chamber that we cut the pay of those who do not appear to do the people’s business. Cut their time is what I say. You not on the job you can’t get pay for not working.”
Cummings said if they wanted a holiday they should not have hide behind “what has clearly been a catastrophe for a lot of citizens of this country.”
He boasted that Government ministers and Senators have been mobilising and working the ground to bring relief to flood victims.
“Don’t hide behind that so you could break local biche from the job you are supposed to be doing. That is what we did at school long time…when you wanted a day from school. You run away and made an excuse for your parents.”
Cummings said he listened to Opposition Senator Khadijah Ameen’s contribution, prior to walking out with her colleagues.
“In an effort to score cheap political points my colleague Senator Ameen will come into the Senate and avoid treating with the people’s business.”
He said if the Opposition wanted a day off there was a procedure for that.
“But you don’t run away in an effort to grab a headline. The intention is to grab a headline…Opposition walks out of debate to go and see about flood victims. But I want to tell the citizens of T&T don’t fall for that. The PNM cares about you.”