Mono-Syllables from the Minister

LABOUR Minister Seeram Prashad in Parliament last week Wednesday, on a day when answers from some Government Ministers to Opposition questions were brief, outdid his colleagues in brevity.

Mr. Prashad’s moment of glory in brevity came in his answers to three questions from Mrs. Janet Jagan, People’s Progressive Party (PPP) frontbencher.

Mrs. Jagan’s questions were: (1) Will the Minister say how many inspections have been made by Labour Department officers of registers, which are required to be kept by employers under the Household Service Workers (Hour of Work) Act 1980 (No. 17)?

(2) Will the Minister say how many registers, approximately, are being kept?

(3) Have there been any prosecutions under the law?

Mr. Prashad’s answers to the questions were: “The answer is 26.” “Two by each employer.”’ “Yes.”

Trade and Tourism Minister Mr. Winston Murray came close to rivalling Prashad when he dealt with the question from PPP Leader Dr. Cheddi Jagan to wit: “of the current retail price $7.45 per gallon — of gasolene, will the Minister say what is the landed cost per gallon, the Government tax and the profit margin to the filling stations?” Jagan pointed out that his question was published since May

31, 1986 and asked that since the price had changed Murray take that into consideration in answering.

Murray evaded answering the question and suggested if Jagan laid a new question he would be prepared to answer “given due notice.”

Following Mr. Murray’s reply, Working People’s Alliance (WPA) Parliamentarian Eusi Kwayana asked: “Hasn’t the Minister achieved a new level of cynicism in his answer to that question?”