We also got a chance to ask the Deputy Prime Minister about the Government backpedalling on the House Committee that will look into the Auditor General’s reports.
Up until yesterday, the Government was pushing for a Joint Special Select Committee, comprising of members of both the Senate and the House of Representatives, to investigate the findings of the Auditor General on immigration practices between 2011 and 2013. Yesterday, the Government, in a dramatic reversal, decided to support a Senate Select Committee as the means of the investigation into the reports.
When the topic came up, the DPM disagreed that for the government to cave on this issue is a sign of weakness. Here’s how he explained it:
Hon. Patrick Faber - Deputy Prime Minister
"It is testimony to the kind of leadership offered by the prime minister and by our cabinet that we would yield to the better judgement of these entities that have said prime minister and cabinet and Mr. Government that listen this we believe is a better way; we no see anything wrong with this mechanism. These are the reasons, we respect that you had another way but we believe even if you want to make it an argument that constitutionally - the way it is expected to go for whatever reason the government has now realised and agreed that this is what people want."
"I want people to understand that there is no.. we should rejoice when it is that the government listens to its stakeholders and changes its position, a hard-line position it was holding before. That's no indication of going soft or can't handle the candle, no, no, no. That's the way things should work; in fact that is what you criticise the government about when they don't do it that way. So it is good and all should be happy when it is that the government deals to the right thinking of the stakeholders in the society."
As we told you last night, the Government is recommending a configuration of 3 UDP members of the National Assembly, 3 from the social partners, and 1 from the PUP. The Opposition strongly disagrees with that, and they are accusing the Government of trying to put itself in a position to influence and misdirect the Committee from properly investigating the Audit Reports. They are counter proposing that the configuration should be 1 Government representative, 1 from the PUP, and 3 from the Social partners.
So, we asked Deputy Prime Minister Faber about that concern that the investigation will not be sufficiently independent, and once again, he disagreed. Here’s how he explained it:
Daniel Ortiz
"Isn't in the government's interest to show to the public look you all are suspicious of us that we will have the opportunity to influence the direction of this committee? Shouldn't the government consider that as a valid reason for limiting its membership on the senate select committee so that no one could make the accusation that you all misdirect it; the work of the committee?"
Hon. Patrick Faber - Deputy Prime Minister
"Listen the senate is the senate and the senate is by its composition made of a majority of government senators."
Daniel Ortiz
"But sir often times the senators take direction from the rest of the party; these are members of the party."
Hon. Patrick Faber - Deputy Prime Minister
"I am only making the point that I was making to show that is the makeup of the senate. It's not something that is being done specifically to try to hide anything; that is by nature the makeup of the senate. Now the government has done much in agreeing to have it be a senate inquiry, some may argue it is by right, it is the best way constitutionally for it to happen right. To even say listen while we don't necessarily believe there is a full and firm position that Minister Hulse should not be on there we will give that as well. He is the Minister of Immigration now and in fact the Immigration Minister that presided over some part of that audit report; based on that we are going to say we will not ask Mr. Hulse to serve. We have gone further to say if it is you're worried about that kind of interference that you hinted to, we are going to ask one of the social partners senators to lead; I think that is giving quite a bit. As I understand it’s going to be open to the public so there can be no shady displays; if it is that the government senators are going to try to hoodwink the people it is going to be in broad daylight and people are going to see and as far as your questioning goes that might be of bigger concern for the government side if people are clearly and out rightly seeing you try hoodwink people then that might spell trouble for us politically down the down. And we don't want to lose the next election; we are in this to win as I'm sure you're aware.
Later on in the news, we have more from that 1 hour 12 minute press conference with the Deputy Prime Minister.
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