AFC Members of Parliament (MPs) boycotted yesterday’s sitting of the National Assembly, saying the government reneged on an agreement by the Parliamentary Management Committee (PMC) to hold private members sittings.
Following the government’s decision to ignore a request by AFC MP Sheila Holder for a Private Members Day to debate a motion in her name, all five AFC MPs absented themselves from the house. Although members of the main opposition PNCR-1G attended yesterday’s sitting, Opposition Leader Robert Corbin told Speaker of the House Ralph Ramkarran that they were there under serious protest as a result of the government’s breach of faith. He said the party only attended because of the fear that the government would try to sneak supplementary budget allocations that were up for scrutiny through the house.
“…The AFC regrets it has no other option but to boycott today’s sitting of the National Assembly to bring to the attention of the public that such conduct could have destructive consequences for Guyana’s fledgling parliamentary democracy,” the party said in a statement, adding that government is flouting the Standing Orders and rules and agreements reached in regards to the rights of the parliamentary opposition. “It is because the AFC recognises the crucial role the National Assembly of the Parliament of Guyana has to perform in developing this country’s fledgling democracy that we take very seriously the minimalist efforts being made by the PPP/C government to undermine the role of the parliamentary opposition.”
Prime Minister Samuel Hinds yesterday suggested that the parties have a special PMC meeting to resolve the issue. Corbin, however, said Ramkarran had given the government proper guidance and criticised it for failing to use the period since the last sitting to rectify its error. “We have been treated with scant discourtesy and there is absolutely no communication or explanation,” he said.
During Monday’s sitting of the National Assembly, Holder requested that the motion in her name be postponed to Wednesday, in keeping with a PMC agreement to schedule Private Members Days. According to Standing Order rule 24 (2), government business is to take precedence on every day except Wednesday, when private members business will have priority. Holder, who is a member of the PMC, noted that last December it was agreed that every fourth sitting of the National Assembly would be held on Wednesday and it was concluded that the PMC could determine whether there was sufficient business to warrant a Special Sitting to deal with private Members issues. However, since the end of the parliamentary recess on October 10, no meetings of the PMC have been held.
Holder’s motion, which deals with television access in Linden, had been placed on Monday’s order paper to be debated after the PNCR-1G motion on torture, which ended 12:45 a.m. Tuesday. But before the end of the sitting, an order paper was circulated for a sitting of the Assembly on Thursday, with Holder’s motion scheduled.
After the order paper was circulated, Holder wrote to Ramkarran: “It has become obvious that government has taken the decision to renege on the PMC agreement by notifying members of a sitting which they have scheduled for Thursday October 30, 2008.” Nevertheless, she requested that the motion be assigned to a Private Members Day.
When informed of the situation before Tuesday morning’s adjournment, Hinds told the Speaker that the government wanted to treat with supplementary budget allocations at the next sitting and he suggested that in the spirit of compromise all matters be dealt with yesterday. Ramkarran, however, said that if it were an issue of compromise, the government should have met with the opposition. “Otherwise there is no purpose of the PMC sitting,” he said.
The Prime Minister requested that the parliament be adjourned to yesterday, with the government using its majority to outvote the opposition when it was put to the house.
In her letter, Holder also registered concern that no PMC meeting has been convened since the parliamentary recess ended although there have been several sittings of the National Assembly. She urged that the committee be convened as soon as possible.
Holder’s motion, on access to local and external channels, other than NCN Channels, at Linden, seeks to have the National Assembly call on the government and the National Frequency Management Unit to permit operators of private television stations in Guyana to relay and beam their signals in Linden and Wismar without having to get additional licences and pay additional fees. Holder contends that the people of Linden and Wismar have expressed frustration and anger at being denied the right to access local and external TV stations other than the state-run NCN 11 and 8. As a result, she is also asking to have the Assembly endorse the fundamental right of the people of Linden and Wismar to receive ideas and information without interference of the state media.
