Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) General Secretary Lincoln Lewis yesterday appealed to APNU and the AFC to end their sabre-rattling on the selection of a Speaker and to focus on principles and not personalities to reach consensus on a nominee.
“The public calls and threats by either party for their candidate to be accepted must be seen as unfortunate in the absence of clear negotiating principles and we urge the parties to return to the bargaining table with the clear understanding that the speakershipcannot be developed around a person, it has to be premised on principles that are embraced by the respective groups, after which all will examine the candidates to find the one most appropriate to fill the position,” Lewis said in a statement on behalf of the GTUC issued yesterday.
The negotiations between the opposition groups are gridlocked, with APNU proposing Deborah Backer and Cammie Ramsaroop for the post and AFC refusing to budge from its lobby for former PPP/C member Moses Nagamootoo. APNU Chairman David Granger has, however, said that Nagamootoo is unsuitable for the post, while citing his association with the ruling party during the commission of abuses in the past. Last week, AFC Chairman Khemraj Ramjattan also warned that the party will pull out of the talks should the APNU youth-affiliate Youth Coalition for Transformation (YCT) go ahead with a planned protest march in support of APNU’s candidates for Speaker.
Lewis noted that the public discourse in arriving at an appropriate person for the speakership has signalled a departure from fundamental principles to create cohesiveness in arriving at a consensus candidate. “The nation is seeing a rallying around personalities rather than principles agreed upon by the parties and this stands the chance of derailing the entire process,” he noted. Based on the plurality of the opposition seats in parliament, he pointed out, it is expected that the Speaker would be an opposition consensus candidate “who can rise above the partisan flair” to put the country first.
“He or she must therefore be seen as having the confidence of the majority of the group,” he emphasised, while adding that both speaker and the opposition leader would have to be elected by members of the combined opposition. “…What is required is a clear understanding and appreciation of the laws and creating methodology around same which ought to be embraced in arriving at consensual candidates,” he explained.
As a result, Lewis added that it is imperative that the first opposition collaboration be successful and amicably resolved “without public rancour, or fanning of each group’s sentiments to create animosity” while warning that to do otherwise would give “other forces” an avenue to sow mistrust and capitalize on the animosity.
According to him, haggling by APNU and AFC in the media can also contribute to the derailment of the process.
Instead, he said, it would be more beneficial for the groups to educate the society on the role and responsibilities of the Speaker, and identifying the required qualifications of the person to perform the duty.
Lewis also cautioned against the groups making demands on each other outside of the issues tabled for negotiation, saying that this can be read as basic internal interference into the operations of another party.
Additionally, he noted Ramjattan’s position on the planned YCT protest, and pointed out that prior to the elections AFC was in the streets demonstrating on issues and this right was respected. “…the issue of public demonstration is for a party, group or individual to determinate consistent with their constitutional right and it must be respected by one and all,” he said.
Further, Lewis said that the election results reflect a vote to change the way business is conducted in the country, with the majority placing its confidence in the opposition for the beginning of “a new political culture” for the creation of a just society.
Saying that the 10th Parliament is expected to be the beginning a new dispensation and that the opportunity to make a difference must not be squandered, he emphasised that the decision on the Speaker should not be about any individual, but about the people.
“The message to send to this nation and the world is that there is a new dispensation in our politics from the last elections and that change is not just an electoral gimmick and sound bites, but a culture we must all embrace as we move away from the negatives of the past.
Change must be manifest in the opposition negotiations to select a Speaker for the House,” he added.
