Dear Editor,
I observed in the Stabroek News of March 7, 2012 a letter written by Mr. Malcolm Parris captioned ` In 1997, both the Speaker and the Deputy were from the PPP’ and responding to a statement I made on television that the government always supported the post of Deputy Speaker going to the opposition.
Unfortunately, Mr. Parris in his haste to find a flaw with my comment forgot historical facts. He is wrong on 2 counts- the date is not 1997 but the period he refers to is after the December 15, 1997 general and regional elections when the opposition officially boycotted the Parliament and returned after the St. Lucia Statement was signed by President Janet Jagan. The public is reminded that the Herdmanston Accord shortened the term of office of the democratically elected PPP/C government from 5 years to 3 years.
I wish to remind Mr. Parris that when the 7th Parliament was convened in early 1998, due to the official boycott of the opposition PNCR, the government nominated Mr. Derek Jagan for the Speaker and Mr. Martin Zephyr for the Deputy Speaker. Speaker Derek Jagan died in 2000 and Martin Zephyr became Speaker for one year prior to the 2001 general and regional elections.
As Mr. Parris has opened the door, let me just enlighten the public, in particular the youth. From independence on May 26, 1966 to August 1992, the Speaker was a nominee of the then PNC government. Of the 7 Deputy Speakers for the same period, 4 were the PNC’s nominee and 3 came from the PPP in opposition.
From 1992 October to September 27, 2011, the opposition PNCR, with the exception of the 1998-2000 period when the PNCR boycotted Parliament until 1999, nominated and held the Deputy Speaker. Therefore, I stand by my public statement that the PPP in government has always supported the opposition holding the Deputy Speaker.
It should be further noted that 7 of the 11 Deputy Speakers have been nominees of the PNC in government and in the opposition (including APNU) over the last 48 years and to date have held and do hold the Deputy Speaker.
The 10 th Parliament saw the election of the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker coming from the opposition parties, thus breaking the long held parliamentary custom and practice that the Speaker comes from the government nominee and the Deputy Speaker from the opposition.
To erase any doubt, please see the list below from the Guyana Parliament records:
Speakers and Deputy Speakers of the National Assembly from 1966 to present:
Speakers of the National Assembly
1. 1964-1967 – Mr. Aubrey Percival Alleyne (PNC)
2. 1968-1970 – Mr. Rahman Baccus Gajraj, C.B.E., J.P. (PNC)
3. 1971-1992 – Mr. Sase Narain, C.M.G., O.R., S.C., J.P.(PNC)
4. 1992-2000 – Mr. Derek Chunilall Jagan, O.R., C.C.H., S.C., J.P. (PPP/C)
5. 2000-2001 – Mr. Winslow Zephyr (PPP/C)
6. 2001 to 2012 – Mr. Hari Narayan Ramkarran, S.C. (PPP/C)
7. 2012 – – Hon. Raphael G.C. Trotman, M.P. (AFC)
Deputy Speakers of the National Assembly
1. 1964-1968 – Rupert Clement Tello (UF; PNC from 1968)
2. 1969-1970 – Mr. Oscar Eleazer Clarke (PNC)
3. 1971-1973 – Mr. Derek Chunilall Jagan (PPP/C)
4. 1973-1974 – Mr. Marcellus Feilden Singh (UF)
5. 1974-1976 – Mr. Ralph Chesterfield Van Sluytman (PNC)
6. 1976-1985 – Mr. “Boysie” Ram Karran (PPP/C)
7. 1986-1992 – Mr. Reepu Daman Persaud (PPP/C)
8. 1992-1997 – Mr. Arthur A. Alexander (PNC)
9. 1998-2000 – Mr. Winslow M. Zephyr (PPP/C)
10. 2001-2011 – Mrs. Clarissa Sabita Riehl (PNC/R)
11. 2012- – Mrs. Deborah Backer (APNU)
Mr. Parris may want to reconsider his comment about Dr. Ramsammy and I being in a “dog fight” and admit that he tried to create one. But history is not on his side. He should therefore apologise for trying to mislead the public.
Yours faithfully,
Gail Teixeira,
M.P.Presidential Adviser on Governance