Kangaloo cautions opposition senator on ‘goat’ remarks

Black Immigrant Daily News

News

Opposition Senator Damian Lyder. Photo courtesy Office of the Parliament

OPPOSITION Senator Damian Lyder incurred the wrath of Senate President Christine Kangaloo on Friday, when he described the members of the Cabinet as goats.

Speaking in the budget debate, Lyder dismissed earlier contributions by Agriculture Minister Kazim Hosein and ministers in the ministry Avinash Singh and Nigel De Freitas on how agriculture had benefited under the PNM in the last seven years.

Describing it as a colossal failure under the PNM, Lyder said Hosein, Singh and de Freitas would not tell the population about poor infrastructure and regular flooding in agricultural areas over the last seven years.

He identified Goodwood Park in west Trinidad as one such area. Noting that many people would not see this as an agricultural area, Lyder quipped, “This is where the chief farmer resides.”

The Prime Minister is a registered farmer and his family owns a farm in Mason Hall, Tobago, where sheep and goats are reared.. Before becoming prime minister in 2015, Dr Rowley lived in Goodwood Park.

Reiterating the UNC’s description of the budget as wicked and callous, Lyder claimed Rowley is advising ministers to follow his lead in being dismissive of anyone who does not support the budget.

“He is farming a set of goats in Cabinet.”

Kangaloo immediately cautioned Lyder: “Try to rein yourself in a little bit.”

Lyder insisted he was not saying Cabinet ministers were goats. He said he used the acronym “goat” to describe Cabinet ministers as the greatest failures of all time. “GOAT” is sometimes used as an acronym for “greatest of all time,” but in this case, Lyder said, “The ‘f’ is silent.”

He withdrew his claim after saying he understood the instructions Kangaloo was giving him.

Kangaloo warned him a second time: “Do not put anything on to me. Just raise the level of the debate.”

Lyder reiterated the UNC’s view that the budget showed the Government was disconnected from reality and uncaring towards the population.

“Ride a bicycle. Go back to coal pots,” he said, quoting Port of Spain South MP Keith Scotland’s suggestions for saving money.

Opposition senators thumped their desks when Lyder said unlike the PNM, “The UNC is a people-centred party.”

Lyder argued none of the measures in the budget were realistic or beneficial to the population.

“Pie in the sky, They read from the red book of fairytales.”

Reiterating the UNC’s claims that the PNM had crashed the economy, Lyder insisted he would not respond to anything government senators had said in the debate.

“I will respond to nothing from the emperors who wear no clothes.”

NewsAmericasNow.com