Faced with the continuation of parliamentary boycott, the government has still not agreed to a request for the holding of a Private Members sitting of the National Assembly.
On Wednesday, the Parliamentary Management Committee (PMC) met for the first time since the end of the parliamentary recess to resolve the dispute that led the AFC to boycott the last sitting. The special meeting was proposed by the government to resolve the dispute after all five AFC MPs absented themselves from the last sitting and the main opposition PNCR-1G MPs made it clear that their participation was under protest.
Stabroek News has been told that at the PMC meeting the government demurred on the holding of a Private Members Day to debate a motion by AFC MP Sheila Holder. The government disputed the AFC’s interpretation of a PMC agreement to give effect to Standing Order rule 24 (2), which provides that government business is to take precedence on every day except Wednesday, when private members business will have priority. Last December, the PMC 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.
Stabroek News has been told that the government challenged the interpretation of the agreement, although PMC Chairman and Speaker of the House Ralph Ramkarran is said to have maintained that there could be no other reading of the agreement. Nevertheless, the government is reported to have taken the decision to further review the agreement.
“It is a demonstration of the misuse of executive powers,” Holder told Stabroek News. “I no longer believe that the PPP administration can be swayed by logic and reason on issues of fairness and good judgement,” she added.
Stabroek News contacted PPP/C chief whip Indra Chanderpal, who referred the newspaper to Prime Minister Samuel Hinds for comment on the issue. Hinds, the leader of the government MPs in the house, could not be reached on repeated attempts. When the issue was originally raised at the last two parliamentary sittings, Hinds mentioned that a PNCR-1G MP had said it the holding of Private Members sittings would be dependent on whether there is sufficient business to justify it.
But Holder pointed out that the government has scheduled parliamentary sittings for less important business. Additionally, she did not rule out the AFC continuing its boycott of parliamentary sittings if the government fails to honour the agreement.
Accusing the government of upholding its obligations under the Standing Orders, the AFC boycotted the October 30 sitting of the National Assembly after the government ignored a request by Holder for a motion in her name to be deferred to a Private Members Day for debate. Members of the main opposition PNCR-1G attended the sitting, but Opposition Leader Robert Corbin said they were there under serious protest as a result of the government’s breach of faith.
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 the interference of the state media.
