An exchange between opposing senators in the Parliament on Wednesday, ended with one member using obscene language to unleash her anger in the tearoom.
Reports state that UNC Senator Jayanti Lutchmedial used obscene language in the Parliament’s tearoom, following a verbal attack on her by PNM senator Renuka Sagramsingh-Sooklal.
During debate Wednesday evening on the bill to validate councillors’ actions after December 2022, Lutchmedial slammed Government on issues concerning the recent Privy Council judgment against extension of the Local Government term.
In an immediate response, Sagramsingh-Sooklal said: “Senator Lutchmedial, throughout the length and breadth of her presentation, she kept saying she’s ‘astounded and confused’ and I believe the Senator …”I believe the Senator is indeed ‘astounded’ and she’s ‘confused’ because apparently for a second she thought this was ‘spread paal with Moonilal’ and this was not the Senate!”
The comment create an uproar, as UNC senators cried out in protest, forcing Senate Vice President Muhammad Ibrahim to call for order at length and asked all members to abide by the Standing Orders.
A GML report said Lutchmedial later went to the Parliament’s tearoom, where some Government senators, including Ndale Young, were sitting and obscene language was used by Lutchmedial in a rebuff when one PNM Minister offered her a piece of cake. Young said he told her she shouldn’t use that type of language.
“But she said she didn’t care,” he added.
Young, expressing concern that obscene language was used, said, “Notwithstanding the cut and thrust of the politics in the chamber, we ought to hold ourselves to high standards. I indicated that to UNC Senator Jearlean John, to whom I spoke about the issue. We have to maintain a level of couth even if we don’t like what we see or hear.”
Following the incident in Parliament, Lutchmedial wrote on her Facebook page: “You can take the rat out of the gutter but can’t take the gutter out of the rat. When people lack substance and the intellectual capacity to speak on issues they resort to personal attacks.”