Antigua : A Bill that would give foreign investors Antigua & Barbuda citizenship has hit a snag after it appeared that the legislation would have had a smooth transition through Parliament.
On Friday– the second day of debate in the Upper Chamber– Antigua Labour Party (ALP) senators on hand were “bewildered” and “shocked” when the controversial Antigua & Barbuda Citizenship by Investment Bill (CIB) failed to be debated.
“I don’t know, as you can see I am still sitting here, …I am still in a state of bewilderment,” a seemingly surprised Senator Gail Christian said on the Senate floor after the proceedings.
Christian was responding to the last minute adjournment of the CIB debate, just before it was to be argued.
Before asking for the adjournment “sine die” Leader of Government Business, Dr Errol Cort explained that there were “one or two” technical drafting issues that needed to be addressed in the Bill.
Attorney General Justin Simon clarified the situation with a statement issued by Speaker of the House D Gisele Isaac the substance of which said that time had run out for debate on the Bill by the Senate.
“ Some of the changes made at committee stage have caused occasion for other changes that were picked up after the fact, the statement read. ”And therefore, because Parliament is being prorogued after today’s (yesterday’s) sitting there will be no occasion for the Senate to send the Bill back to the Lower House.”
Senator Christian, meantime, expressed consternation at the sudden development
“I do not understand that because whatever comes from the Lower House has to be debated here. If we have to send it back, we send it back with whatever changes we recommend,” Christian said.
Asked if the concern could have been that of numbers, as only three United Progressive Party (UPP) senators were present making for a minority in the Senate, Christian was not convinced, saying, “It was not an issue of numbers at all.”
Senator Lennox Weston, however, said he believed he knew the reason behind government’s retreating from debating the Bill presently. He posited there was a “fundamental change in views” in how to structure the contentious programme.
“I don’t think there is anything technical. I think that the plan is fundamentally flawed and the government wants to change the structure of the programme in a fundamental way,” he opined.
Senator Weston noted the Bill and amendments,were made after two days in the Lower House, where parliamentarians debated and fine-tuned the policy, beginning on November 16 continuing into the early morning hours of the 17th.
“The Bill is well drafted and well written, in terms of what they expected,” the senator added.
Asked to expand on the reason for the delay, Dr Errol Cort had no comment. Senator Joanne Massiah reiterated Dr Cort’s sentiments, saying only, “The leader has said it all.”
The attorney general’s statement confirmed that “the Bill will have to be brought back to the Lower House on the first Order Paper in the new session of Parliament which commences with the Budget debate.
“It’s not that the Bill has been withdrawn but that time has run out in this session,” the statement said
You must be logged in to post a comment.