-gov’t slams ‘diversionary’ tactics
Backed by a noisy protest on Brickdam, new allegations in a US court of links between the government and drug trafficker Roger Khan sparked an exodus of the opposition from Parliament after PNCR Leader Robert Corbin was unable to raise the matter for urgent debate and government MPs later condemned the walkout as an attempt to create a diversion.
With Alliance For Change MPs earlier deciding not even to enter the Chambers, members of the main opposition PNCR-1G walked out after the Speaker of the National Assembly, Ralph Ramkarran disallowed an application by Opposition Leader Corbin for an urgent debate on the recent testimony of Selwyn Vaughn in a New York Court, where it was alleged that Khan had ties to a government minister. Corbin, in a letter to the Speaker, also sought to have the Assembly approve a move calling for Interpol to be invited to probe the allegations.
Ramkarran, in refusing the Opposition Leader’s application which was based on Standing Order 12, said that the “matter sought to be raised is mostly based on press reports without being substantiated.”
Corbin however contended that “these reports are not based on newspapers but are based on sworn affidavits, court documents and testimony that have been made available to the world at large.”
Ramkarran, in response, said that “the only matter that is urgent are the facts and circumstances stated by a witness in a Court of the United States of America in a pending trial, the issues of which are reported in the newspapers here.”
In explaining what matters of urgency were, the Speaker said that “the fact that a grievance is continuing is not sufficient if it is not of recent occurrence. The fact that new information has been received regarding a matter that has been continuing for sometime does not itself make that matter one of urgency. If the facts have only been recently revealed that does not make the occurrence recent. “
While appealing for the motion to be granted, Corbin told the Speaker: “this is the highest forum of the land, this is the highest court of the land, and you Sir, have the golden opportunity of creating precedence in this Parliament on a matter of the grave nature.”
However, in spite of Corbin’s appeals, the Speaker said that his decision was based on international Parlia-mentary practices. He told Corbin that the matter could be debated if it came to the House as an ordinary motion.
Corbin then led his party out of the National Assembly. Prior to leaving the chambers of the National Assembly, he angrily threw down several law books from the desk in front of him, as he stated that if this matter could not be considered a grave matter the laws meant nothing.“These laws of Guyana mean absolutely, nothing in this country. Nothing, all of them, all of them!” he said angrily as he dramatically pushed them down one by one.
After the main opposition party left the House, Ramkarran commented that former President, the Late Dr. Cheddi Jagan, had committed a similar act when he was Opposition Leader. That action had attracted sanctions.
While outside of the National Assembly, Corbin also expressed his displeasure that members of his party had their vehicles searched prior to them gaining access to the National Assembly. Accord-ing to him, the laws say that MPs are guaranteed immunity in the environs of the Parlia-ment. The police searched the vehicle of PNCR-1G MP Basil Williams, because they suspected that he was carrying placards.
When asked if his decision to throw down the law books was not excessive, he said that he was making a symbolic reference to the fact that since the PPP/C government came to power they have shown blatant disregard for the laws of the country.
Also joining the PNCR-1G in the walkout was GAP-ROAR MP Everall Franklin. He said that the matter was an important one to the stability of the country and that it should be reviewed. “We have lost an opportunity to discuss something and to get it off our chests because I think there needs to be a cleansing of the souls.” When asked if he believed that Health Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy should resign over the recent testimony in the US court linking him to Khan, Franklin said that it was the government that had to decide this. He, however, suggested that it may be best for Dr Ramsammy to step down in order to facilitate a proper investigation into the matter.
AFC totally boycotts
The AFC boycotted yesterday’s entire sitting of the National Assembly saying that it did not want to lend legitimacy to the sitting in light of the recent testimony. Prior to the beginning of the sitting, the party’s MPs gathered outside of the barricades with placards but when they attempted to go in front of Public Buildings they were prevented from doing so.
Speaking to members of the media, the AFC Leader Raphael Trotman said that the decent thing for Dr. Ramsammy to do was for him to stand down and for the government to have an independent Commission of Inquiry, which would comprise persons of international repute and credibility. Trotman suggested that inviting Interpol to conduct an inquiry was one of the steps that should be taken.
He opined that the country was in chaos and consequently, this was not the time to be discussing the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) as was scheduled to be debated in yesterday’s sitting of the National Assembly. The motion on the LCDS was subsequently deferred for the second week running yesterday.
Chairman of the party, Khemraj Ramjattan said that the party is preparing a dossier to send to various international agencies including the authorities in Norway who are working with Guyana on the LCDS. According to Ramjattan this dossier will document aspects of the Roger Khan scandal, the Fidelity scandal, aspects of the Auditor General’s report, the CLICO issue and matters encompassed in newspaper editorials, among others. He said that these submissions will be made within the next two to three weeks and explained that the party is waiting for some of these documents to be certified with the stamp from the Auditor General’s Office.
Protest
Also protesting prior to the beginning of the sitting were supporters and members of the PNCR-1G. They, too, were prevented from protesting in front of the Public Buildings with their placards. But as they gathered beyond the barricades outside of the National Assembly, they were very vocal and shouted whenever a government member drove past to enter the compound of the National Assembly. While some were eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Health Minister, they did not get the chance as he reportedly entered the building through the back gate.
At one point during the protest, some women managed to get past the barricades with placards and these placards were taken away from the women by police officers.
However, after the walkout by the main opposition party some of the supporters joined the MPs in picketing directly in front of Parliament Buildings. At one point in the process, when Government spokesman Kwame McCoy was entering the National Assembly, supporters and even members of the PNCR-1G threw themselves on the side and front of the vehicle as it passed, while taunting him.
Government response
Meanwhile, PPP/C MPs yesterday labelled the actions by the PNCR-1G and the AFC as attempts to direct attention away from other matters of importance, including investigations into the recent fire which destroyed the Ministry of Health.
At a press conference held at Public Buildings, Prime Minister Sam Hinds, PPP General Secretary Donald Ramator and MP Gail Teixeira all criticized the actions by the Parliamentary Opposition.
Hinds said that in the midst of all the recent allegations, the public should remember that a few years ago, a conversation between PNCR Executive Member Basil Williams and the then Commissioner of Police Winston Felix was recorded in which it was alleged that Felix had helped create diversions after certain criminal acts had been committed.
Ramotar, meanwhile, opined that Corbin was trying to prove that he was militant following recent questions about his leadership of the party.
He said that it should not be taken as mere coincidence that this action is coming less than a month before the party’s Congress. He said that the Speaker had given Corbin an opportunity to have the matter debated but he refused. Ramotar also criticized Corbin for throwing down the law books.
He also said that the AFC was scared because its leader Trotman was an Executive Member of the PNCR- when the party was alleged to have had close links with criminal elements. He opined that both the PNCR-1G and the AFC were “nervous.”
Teixeira, meanwhile, said that members of the media needed to be careful when reporting on the ongoing case in New York. She said that these were merely allegations in a matter that was being held in a foreign court. She said that the matter had not even been completed but that it was being reportedly locally “as if it was God’s word.” She called for balanced coverage of the trial and suggested that the current manner in which it was being covered put people’s lives at risk.