Dear Editor,
I should begin by stating that while I had looked forward confidently to an APNU victory, I have reconciled myself, like the majority of Guyanese to the give-and-take necessary for the functioning of the Parliament as currently composed.
There is also an appreciation that the Government and Opposition would seek to gain any possible advantage and to frequently present their individual cases to the electorate via the media. I would like however, to caution that in their attempt to gain favour with the public, party leaders eschew any temptation to deny facts especially glaring and obvious ones.
The Hons. Derek Jagan and Martin Winston Zephyr, my fellow Buxtonian, served together as Speaker and Deputy Speaker, having entered Parliament from the PPP list of candidates in the 1997 General and Regional Elections.
I was therefore very disappointed when I saw a television programme in which Dr Leslie Ramsammy and Ms. Gail Teixeira of the PPP claimed that that party had always voted for the post of Deputy Speaker to go to the Opposition in Parliament.
The current situation requires that our political parties work assiduously to create an atmosphere which will ensure that instead of a dog-fight, we will see our Parliament protecting our rights, making the fullest use of the earnings from our resources and exploiting the opportunities which are looming on the horizon – all in a truly democratic environment.
Much is at stake!
Yours faithfully,
Malcolm Parris
