BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – HER MAJESTY'S LOYAL OPPOSITION in the Federal Parliament is being challenged to file a motion to have the issue of the Ebola virus outbreak debated in the House as a matter of urgency.
The challenge was issued by Chairman of the National Integrity Party (NIP), Bernard Welsh.
Speaking with SKNVibes earlier today (Oct. 20), Welsh expressed that rather than “throwing blame”, the Parliamentary Opposition has just as much responsibility as the government to bring the issue to the fore, for the sake of the people of the Federation. .
“In our Constitution, you are allowed to bring what we call ‘individual members bill’. You could bring a bill to Parliament, just like you can bring a Motion of No Confidence to Parliament. The Opposition can also bring, under Individual Members Bill, matters like that which are of national interest to Parliament.
“If this Ebola is such a threat to everybody and if the Opposition feels that the Government is not moving fast enough, then it is important that they take the initiative and file a motion because they can do that…Any Parliamentarian can file a motion, I think you have to give a certain period of notice, either 48 or 72 hours, before a session of Parliament and have it placed on the Order Paper and have the motion debated and discussed.”
Welsh reminded that some 4,500 individuals have lost their lives in West Africa as a result of the virus.
“…if you look at the response in West Africa, it is because there were gaps in their primary healthcare which facilitated the spread of the disease. If we do not put an urgent comprehensive plan in place now, it could be worse. And our population is very small so we can’t afford a hit by Ebola.”
Meanwhile, Member of the Opposition in Parliament and Leader of Team Unity the Hon. Dr. Timothy Harris is accusing the government of handling the “Ebola outbreak issue” with some degree of nonchalance in not doing enough to protect its people from the spread of the virus.
Among the measures taken by the government is the implementation of travel restrictions on individuals who have travelled from Liberia, Sierre Leone or Guinea within 21 days from the issuance of the restriction.
Dr. Harris told SKNVibes that he is not convinced that, “either the Prime Minister nor his Cabinet and in particular the Ministry of Health has done their homework in relation to the Ebola, has properly informed the public and has adequately inventory of the things that would be required should such a virus hit our shores.”
The Unity Leader spoke of measures which other Caribbean countries have implemented which the Federal Government has yet to implement.
He described the government’s response as “piecemeal” and suggested that it needs to be more comprehensive.
NIP’s Welsh told SKNVibes that had members of his party been part of the Parliamentary Opposition, they would have taken measures to have the Ebola outbreak issue tabled in the Federal Parliament and debated expeditiously.
“It is one thing for people to talk… They are in Parliament so they have the same rights and the same responsibilities as the government when it comes to an issue of national security. So instead of sitting there and trying to throw blame, they should take the initiative...which is what we would have done. It is easy to throw blame but we have to be proactive and not reactive.”
