APNU MP Carl Greenidge is to move a motion in parliament calling for Hansard (the official record of parliamentary proceedings) for the years 1985 to 1992 to be made available.
This period covers the Desmond Hoyte administration during which Greenidge was Finance Minister.
The recital to the motion says that noting that the Official Reports (Hansard) for the period January, 1985 to December, 1992 are the records of the decisions pertaining to the management and debates over the Economic Recovery Programme and other critical decisions in the management of the political economy of Guyana, Greenidge was concerned that the Official Reports covering the period are not available.
The resolve motion calls upon the House to “submit the full records of the National Assembly for the period January, 1985 to December, 1992 as early as possible or within two (2) months of this motion being published on Notice Paper (March 26, 2012)”. It further resolves that if these documents cannot be found or have been obliterated that “the Speaker is to institute an enquiry into the said disappearance or destruction of those records and report the findings to the National Assembly within one month after the tabling of this motion.”
In a letter to Stabroek News on February 26, 2012, Greenidge had said about Hansard “Those for the entire Hoyte period have been removed from the Parliament, presumably either destroyed or hidden. The success of that period is an embarrassment for the PPP. They have been claiming that other governments are incapable of governing and that the PPP established the track record which enabled us to access HIPC, etc. With the disappearance of those records they still cannot wipe out our contribution to the development of this country. The debates documenting the positions of the PPP and the achievements of the Hoyte era may have been destroyed and are not available to the citizens of this country but the essentials are known to others.”
He added “The Speaker’s office is supposed to be the guardian of such matters (records of bills laid and the Hansards) and I invite the Speaker, with the assistance of his predecessor, if necessary, to explain to the country what has become of these records and how they could have been lost without any announcement, enquiry or comment from the Speaker’s office.”
