Two-thirds majority allows passage of race relations Bill
The National Assembly yesterday voted in favour of the passage of the Constitution (Amendment) (No.2) Bill 2000 with 45 votes, but not without a five-minute anxiety over whether enough MPs were present. The Assembly was quickly brought out of suspense after the fears that the previous sitting's botched attempt to pass the race relations legislation would be repeated for the lack of two-thirds approval. Since he was slated to deal with the first two items on the National Assembly's Order Paper, Leader of the House, Reepu Daman Persaud decided to proceed with them until he was assured that two-thirds of the members of parliament were present. Fortunately, it was when he was finished with the second matter, the Pesticides and Toxic Chemicals Control Bill, that he observed members of both the government and opposition benches trickling in. It was at this point that the entire house breathed a sigh of relief that the foremost item would be approved, unlike last Thursday's experience when some Members of Parliament (MPs) were absent. Persaud then moved into the third and final reading of the bill which seeks to alter the 1980 Constitution in accordance with articles 66 and 164. The legislation will allow for the creation of an Ethnic Relations Commission.
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