The Alliance For Change’s (AFC) leader Raphael Trotman, a former member of the PNCR, is the new Speaker of the National Assembly, an historic first for the opposition in Guyana’s parliamentary history that also saw the position of Deputy Speaker going to APNU’s Deborah Backer.
At yesterday’s first sitting of the National Assembly in the 10th Parliament, members of the ruling PPP/C and the combined Opposition of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance for Change (AFC) held their respective party’s lines in the contest.
In the end, it turned out to be a numbers game, with the majority of the combined Opposition prevailing over the Government benches by a single vote. Trotman succeeds Ralph Ramkarran as Speaker of the National Assembly and is the first person holding the position to come from the Opposition benches.
Yesterday’s election had been preceded by weeks of bickering between APNU and the AFC over who should be Speaker.
At the commencement of the 10th Parliament yesterday afternoon, Clerk of the National Assembly Sherlock Isaacs read the Proclamation convening Parliament by the President, Donald Ramotar and then proceeded to have a roll call of the names of the persons to become Members of the National Assembly following the General and Regional Elections of November 28, 2011. There were no absentees. All 65 were present.
Following the roll call, the Clerk commenced the proceedings to elect the Speaker.
Prime Minister Sam Hinds rose and nominated Ralph Ramkarran on behalf of the ruling party. Clement Rohee seconded the nomination. After this, Amna Ally on behalf of APNU nominated Deborah Backer and her nomination was seconded by Volda Lawrence. AFC Chairman Khemraj Ramjattan nominated Trotman and Moses Nagamootoo seconded it. Nagamootoo had been in the running for the position until he withdrew after APNU signalled their disenchantment with his nomination.
Then the vote was open for Ramkarran. The two halves of the House voted yeah and nay loudly leading to the Clerk calling for a division, where he put the question to each member of the House individually for their vote. By the end of the process, 32 members voted for Ramkarran while 33 members voted against, thus defeating his nomination.
As the Clerk attempted to commence the election for Backer, Ally stood up and said that she wished to withdraw the nomination of Backer. Volda Lawrence also rose to second the withdrawal of Backer.
The Clerk then proceeded with the election for Trotman. He called for the division and by the end of the voting, 33 members voted for Trotman while 32 members voted against him. “I hereby declare Mr. Raphael Trotman duly elected Speaker of the National Assembly,” declared Isaacs.
The Clerk then asked that the proposer and seconder of Trotman’s nomination escort Trotman to the Clerk’s desk to take the oath and after taking the oath he took his place in the Speaker’s chair.
Trotman then performed his first official task as Speaker; presiding over the election of the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly. Ally again nominated Backer and this was seconded by Lawrence. There being no other nominees for the post of Deputy Speaker, Trotman declared Backer as his deputy and the oath was administered to her.
After this, the Speaker presided over the administration of the oath of the members of the National Assembly.
Addressing the National Assembly, the Speaker said that he thanked God, his family and friends and colleagues and all those who offered words of support and advice. “I will say that I thank all of you for the confidence that you reposed in me. It will not be displaced. I promise to serve everyone faithfully as I can according to the oath that I took. I would like to thank every member, particularly those that are here for the first time,” he said.
“We welcome everyone and I trust that in the days ahead the Clerk will arrange a briefing session for those new members. Given the hurried manner in which we were called it could not be done,” he said.
“I expect that we will work cooperatively, diligently, maturely and set aside our partisan ways. I know that it is easier said than done. But I look forward to seeing a vibrant Tenth Parliament,” he said.
In giving recognition to his predecessor, he said that it is no secret that he is an admirer of Ramkarran, former Speaker for the manner in which he conducted the affairs of the last two Parliaments. “And I dare say that I would be looking to you and remembering your precedents and I trust that I could turn to you from time to time for guidance,” he said.
He conceded that without the “selfless act” of Nagamootoo he would not be the Speaker. “To Mrs. Backer, my long time friend and colleague, I say congratulations on being elected Deputy Speaker. I look forward to working with you and I believe that together we can and will share the responsibility on the affairs of the house,” the Speaker said.
“To the governing side, I expect that we can find consensus and that we could set aside the rancour of the campaign. The campaign is over and all of us should be happy to be at work and to have been called from our rest,” he said.
The Speaker then invited leaders of the parties to make statements.
Prime Minister Hinds said the Government still held to the view that for practical considerations for getting along with the business of the Assembly and of the Government of Guyana, “the convention by which Speakers nominated by the minority government is acceded to, but that was not followed on this occasion.”
But he extended congratulations with the hope that the oath that the Speaker has taken to be fair and even-handed will be manifested.
Speaking after the Prime Minister, David Granger offered his congratulations to the Speaker. “This is the 180th anniversary of the completion of this building. It is also a historic occasion because the Tenth Parliament will be like no other. It must be like no other and we look to you to manage this noble House in a way that would promote democracy, that would prevent abuse, that would protect the people’s interest and that would provide a good life for all Guyanese. Those responsibilities are burdensome responsibilities but my colleagues in APNU are committed to giving you the support to make the aspirations of our people a reality,” Granger said.
AFC’s Executive Member Khemraj Ramjattan said this is the moment that he had desired to see after the elections, in the context of what he described as tremendous partisanship in the campaign period. “What has resulted is a brand new dispensation and that dispensation requires all of us to ease out of that partisanship and make sure that Guyana progresses,” he said.
He noted that the progress of Guyana depends largely on what the members will be doing in the House in a tripartite consensual arrangement in almost everything. “I want you to know that indeed the seven members of the AFC will ensure that you get all the support to make that happen,” he said.
“I want to concur that without a Moses Nagamootoo this would not have happened and without support of APNU we would not have a new Speaker,” he said.
The next sitting of Parliament will be on February 10 at which occasion President Donald Ramotar will address the Assembly as is customary.
