President Donald Ramotar, in his inaugural speech to the 10th Parliament, yesterday said that his administration is willing to “exercise patience, forbearance, and reasonableness in the interest of all of our people” but warned it would not be held ransom to “intractable postures”.
In a speech labelled throne-like by Opposition Leader David Granger and a “report card” on the positive developments in the country by AFC Chairman Khemraj Ramjattan, Ramotar expressed the hope that all political parties could work together and that history would record that they succeeded at a time when they were put to the test.
“Indeed the make-up of this new parliament dictates that we seek consensus and compromise and should resist the temptation to believe that any party can ride roughshod over another. Any such attempt may see us missing the historical opportunities that this new composition offers. I urge that we put the interest of our people first,” Ramotar said.
Ramotar arrived at Parliament Buildings to full ceremonial honours by members of the Guyana Defence Force and while he was heckled by some protestors standing with placards opposite, this did not take away from the pomp of the occasion.
In his speech, he urged that they all work assiduously to find common ground within and outside Parliament saying that in his administration there is the political will to do so. “My government has already committed to regular engagements with the parliamentary parties. Through these engagements I hope we can continue to nurture the political thrust and create an enabling climate for consensus building.”
He said it was “most disappointing” that they did not find consensus in the election of the Speaker of the National Assembly but he is still optimistic that seeking agreement by dialogue is still the best way forward.
According to Ramotar the 10th Parliament is beginning its work in a very “challenging period in our country’s history” since for the first time there was a situation in which no party holds an absolute majority. He said while it is new to Guyana, it is one that has been experienced in other countries and the result of the work of such parliaments has been very mixed. While in some cases it was successful and not so fruitful in others; it has seen downright failure in some instances.
“The question is: How will our Parliament perform? Will ours add to the list of failures or will it be able to serve as an example of a successful Parliament? Will other countries, finding themselves in a similar situation in the future turn to us to see how well we did, and seek to learn from our experience? The answers to these questions lie ahead of us. They are also within us and a lot will depend on what attitude we take at this time,” the Head of State said.
He said while as politicians they have their differences and will continue to have varying views on many issues the important thing is how they move forward in resolving positions. He said for them to move forward, calls for maturity and to avoid “gridlock inertia”, political cooperation in the interest of Guyana must exist.
“This is the reality that we must avoid gridlock,” he stressed.
‘Significant
development’
According to Ramotar, given the significant development under the PPP, his administration would be “loath to accept gridlock that can stymie Guyana’s development.
“I am convinced that we have the capacity to rise to this challenge, I am satisfied that we are capable of demonstrating to the Guyanese nation that while political competition and diversity are essential in democracy it should not foreclose on the possibility for compromise and consensus…”
He said he believed that working in the parliament could contribute to building the trust that is important to Guyana’s political culture. The President said the need for the politicians to forge united and strong national positions is also important for the international socio-economic and political development of the country. Giving kudos to his predecessor Bharrat Jagdeo for his work in the area of climate change, Ramotar said that economically Guyana is “now poised for a rapid take off” and for this to be realized “we have to tackle the issues that exist and can slow us down.”
New technologies must be embraced, the President said, as they are driving growth, inventiveness and innovation and integrating the country with that larger economic space that is spawned by globalization.
The president paid tribute to former speaker Ralph Ramkarran for “his understanding, dedicated and fair-minded service to the National Assembly” which once again brought loud hand thumping from the government side. He said that Ramkarran, who was not supported by the opposition parties in the nominations for speaker, exemplified the dignity and professionalism of the esteemed office of Speaker of the House.
“Under his tenure the Parliament was greatly enhanced in many important areas,” said Ramotar.
The President told the new parliamentarians that it is their responsibility to bring expression to the aspiration of the people and encouraged them to work dedicatedly to represent all the people.
Ramotar said he had been a member of parliament for almost 20 years. He described the experience as one of the greatest privileges of his life and said he would miss the debates in Parliament since the exposure he gained deepened his political experience.
Functional appearances
Rising to speak on behalf of “the majority of this honourable house”, Granger gave “an appreciation” for the President’s speech, which he said would have been called a “throne speech” in other jurisdiction.
“But in Guyana there is no throne and we are not a monarchy and we are no longer a dictatorship but we are a democracy,” Granger said.
He pointed out that the 10th Parliament represented a new configuration and dispensation and an opportunity to look at new methods in the management of Parliament.
Granger noted that while the constitution makes provision for the President of Guyana to visit the National Assembly at any time and make an address in the past, the appearances of the president had been rare.
“We now need Mr Speaker, to propose a change and on behalf of the majority of this house I would like to suggest that we change convention and accept what the constitution has ordained.”
He suggested that Ramotar should make more “functional appearances” not every five years but every year, so that the country did not follow the monarchial tradition but rather a republican one in which the Head of State is required to report on the state of the nation every year before the budget is debated.
“Our nation… faces many changes and we need regular reviews and regular revisions of our plans and we would like to see our Head of State and Head of Government making more use of Article 67 of our constitution,” Granger said urging Ramotar not to wait to be asked but rather invite himself since the constitution allows him to do so.
He said the Parliament cannot exist without the President and urged the Speaker to “ensure that the will of the majority of this House is respected.”
Meanwhile, AFC’s Ramjattan, who on a jovial note told Ramotar he was going to miss his heckles in Parliament, said Ramotar’s speech reflected, “largely a report card” of the successes in the country and it should be acknowledged that there had been negatives.
“We are going to try to correct those negatives with the governing party in the coming years,” Ramjattan said.
He said the AFC would have rather seen a legislative agenda but suspected that they can go on to this at the tripartite level. Ramjattan also expressed the hope that there would be some formula for national unity.
“I want to assure this honourable house, Your Excellency that I intend to work along with your government to ensure the greater happiness and the inner peace for all Guyanese.”
He said the “people won and the people are sovereign and as representatives of the people we must make sure that they bear the fruits of that winning.”
Mandate
Meantime, Speaker Raphael Trotman in his address stated that by the populace’s mandate they have been “presented with a precious opportunity for unprecedented cooperation among government and opposition, one that I pray we do not squander or leave untapped.”
He said the uniqueness of the assembly with an opposition majority and the address by the president standing as head of the executive branch of the country cannot be overemphasized as they gathered in “this hallowed setting” to receive Ramotar’s vision so that it could be paired with the opposition’s and “create a basis of a new realigned transformed and a better Guyana.”
He urged that they rise to the challenge issued by the people together and not separate, but demonstrate that they can work together to make Guyana a united, free and prosperous state.
Trotman said his vision is for the National Assembly to be one where all work together to promote a truly participatory and inclusionary democracy which he said can be achieved by firstly bringing the assembly to the people and establishing it “as a place of honour and national pride.”
Secondly, by improving interparty parliamentary relation; thirdly by striking a respectful and harmonious balance between the executive and legislative branches of the state; and fourthly enhancing the training and exploiting opportunities for development and improving the conditions of service and remuneration for staff and members of parliament alike.
