THE Opposition People’s National Movement (PNM) on Monday night walked out of the debate on the Supplementation and Variation of Appropriation for Fiscal Year 2026, in protest of Public Utilities Minister Barry Padarath’s “reprehensible” conduct against Parliamentary staff.
The Opposition left the chamber immediately on the commencement of Padarath’s contribution and in a statement following, called on Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar to “immediately” remove Padarath as Leader of Government Business.
In a statement following, the Opposition said the action was “taken as a deliberate act of protest against the reprehensible conduct of Mr. Padarath during last Friday’s Standing Finance Committee proceedings, where he abandoned his seat on the Government Bench, approached a Parliamentary Officer and photographed him in full view of the Parliament in what was an obvious and deliberate act of intimidation”.
The release said such conduct is “wholly unbecoming of a senior Parliamentarian and represents a clear abuse of authority by the Leader of Government Business”. The Opposition said the Parliament is an independent and apolitical institution.
“Its officers must be allowed to discharge their responsibilities free from harassment, intimidation or political pressure from any Member of Parliament,” the PNM stated.
It said days later, there has been “no apology, no remorse and no acknowledgement by the Government of the seriousness of what occurred”.
“Instead, the Government has doubled down in its attack on the Parliament through public utterances by Mr. Padarath, conduct that has been openly supported and endorsed by the Prime Minister,” the Opposition stated.
The statement said information reaching the Opposition suggests that this pattern of intimidation may not be confined to Parliamentary staff but may also extend to members of Padarath’s own caucus.
The Opposition went on to urge “any Member of Parliament who has been subjected to intimidation, bullying or coercion to come forward and speak openly”.
It said “no elected representative should be forced into silence out of fear of victimisation or political consequences”.
Good conscience
The Opposition stated that it “could not in good conscience participate in proceedings as though nothing had happened, while the individual responsible for this conduct was afforded the privilege of leading Government business in the Parliament”.
“No Parliamentary Officer should be intimidated for carrying out his or her duties,” the release stated.
The Opposition further contended that no Member of Parliament should be subjected to bullying or coercion.
“And no Parliament worthy of public confidence should tolerate such conduct from any Member of Parliament,” the release stated.
The Opposition reiterated its call for a full criminal investigation into the matter and called on the Prime Minister to “immediately remove Barry Padarath as Leader of Government Business”.
“His conduct has desecrated the office he holds, violated the spirit and intent of the Parliamentary Oath he swore to uphold, brought the Parliament into disrepute and rendered him unfit to continue serving in that position,” the Opposition said.
It added that Monday’s walkout was “a statement that intimidation, bullying and abuse of authority have no place in the Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago”
