‘I eat the food but I don’t drink the liquor’ – Jagdeo

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo says the food supplied to parliamentarians is not fancy but he has an issue with the serving of liquor at the expense of taxpayers.

Public outrage was triggered following media reports that the food bill per sitting of the National Assembly is roughly $700,000.

But Jagdeo says the exorbitance is not just with food, as parliamentarians also enjoy alcohol with their meals.

“It’s not just food. It’s a huge amount of alcohol that gets consumed and imbibed in the Parliament… fancy, fancy liquor,” he said at a news conference Thursday afternoon.

Jagdeo believes other opposition Parliamentarians also do not indulge in consuming the alcohol but he said that they eat the food.

“They do eat. We eat. I eat the food. What do you suggest? I don’t go and eat the food? … I eat the food but I don’t drink the liquor,” the Opposition Leader said.

“I like eating too and it’s not like it’s fancy food. It’s not fancy food but it’s the alcohol part that I have a problem with.”

He suggested that Parliamentarians buy their own alcohol if they so desire to have a drink when they meet for Sittings of the National Assembly.

The Parliamentary food bill aside, Jagdeo contends that the dietary expenditure has increased tremendously under the coalition administration.