The Private Notice Question yesterday was on the Film Rebate Scheme. Dr Renganaden Padayachy being on a mission abord, so it was once again his colleague Sunil Bholah who answered.
However, the session was marked by virulent exchanges between the Leader of the Opposition and the Speaker… At the end of the session, Xavier-Luc Duval called for an independent audit to be carried out because, in his view, we need to learn from our mistakes.
In his opening response, Sunil Bholah recalled that it was Xavier-Luc Duval who introduced the Film Rebate Scheme in 2013 and that the first film to benefit from it was never released.He pointed out that since January 2016, 107 films have benefited from the Film Rebate Scheme and that Rs 1.1 billion has been spent.
He also explained that Nanda Narainen of the Economic Development Board chairs the Film Rebate Committee, which is responsible for considering claims submitted by producers. The committee includes representatives from various ministries as well as Sachin Jootun.
Xavier-Luc Duval asked if the members of this committee had the necessary experience to see whether claims were deliberately inflated. He also mentioned the films Serenity and Prisoner of Paradise.
The Leader of the Opposition has repeatedly asked Minister Bholah how the authorities can determine whether expenditure under this program is justified if they are not interested in box-office takings. He even suggested that many films that have benefited from the Film Rebate Scheme are flops.
Osman Mahomed expelled and named again
A fortnight ago, he was expelled and suspended for one sitting. He resumed his seat last week. But Osman Mahomed wanted to raise a point of law after Minister Stephan Toussaint spoke about the Status of the Artist Bill. Toussaint had made disparaging comments about him. But he was prevented from doing so by the Speaker. Osman Mahomed insisted on raising his point of law. He was then expelled. As he refused to leave the Chamber, Sooroojdev Phokeer named him. On 27 June, the MP was expelled and named. He was suspended for one sitting. He will be suspended again.
