“We will not allow anybody to trifle with parliament”

Legislators from the coalition and the opposition on Tuesday warned Health Minister Antoine Elias not to trifle with parliament. The legislators slammed Minister Elias for trying to shrug off the fact that the government lost the financing for the construction of a new Academic Hospital Paramaribo (AZP) with one sentence. The chairwoman of parliament, Jennifer Geerlings-Simons, made it clear to Minister Elias that important issues will not be brushed aside in the nation’s conference room. “It was most likely a clerical error which stopped the project and we hope that we can soon pick up where we left off,” said Minister Elias who had been given 3 weeks to investigate why the country lost the financing. Last month parliament demanded answers from the government. Minister Soewarto Moestadja, coordinator of the government team, had asked parliament two weeks to investigate why the Islamic Development Bank had plugged the plug out of the project that would cost an estimated $70 million. Geerlings-Simons deemed it unacceptable that it took the government 3 weeks instead of 2 to get to the bottom of this case and to think that one sentence would suffice. Even Minister Moestadja seemed shocked by Minister’s Elias’ short explanation. He asked for a recess so that the government could prepare a longer explanation. “Minister Moestadja you are indicating that you had not expected that answer. I agree with your request because it was unacceptable. We will not allow anybody to trifle with parliament,” said the chairwoman.