The Private Sector Commission (PSC) says there is no room in Parliament’s agenda for actions that can adversely affect the country’s advancement and as such it is concerned that the current impasse over Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee is overshadowing the functions of the forum.
In a press release issued on Thursday, the PSC recalled a previous statement by its chairman on October 25 that “our law makers have been entrusted with great power and equally great responsibility,” saying they must be cognisant of the needs of the country and its citizenry. Further, the common motivation for all Members of Parliament (MPs) must be to secure significant improvements in the lives of the people, from the provision of social services to governance and economic viability.
“Legislative work necessary for the continued development of Guyana and the benefit of the Guyanese people cannot be stymied by our inability to put aside political divide and work with each other for the common good. The electorate spoke in November of last year and created a unique Parliamen-tary disposition, which has the potential to enhance democracy in our country,” the PSC said, adding that it is concerned that this potential is being squandered.
The last parliamentary sitting was prematurely adjourned by the Speaker Raphael Trotman, after opposition members chanted loudly to prevent Rohee’s second reading of the Firearms Amendment Bill 2012, as part of a campaign to give effect to a no confidence motion passed in the National Assembly against him.
The PSC noted that there has been a strong tendency for unrest in Parliament to translate into civil unrest and it is anxious about the potential for civil unrest to derail the positive trajectory on which the economy has been moving in recent years. “The private sector drives the economy and as such we are important stakeholders,” therefore it is calling on MPs to act in the best interest of the nation and negotiate and speedy and mature resolution to the current standoff. The PSC adds that members of parliament must exercise decorum in keeping with the prestigious office entrusted to them by the Guyanese people and lead by example by engaging themselves in a respectful parliament intent on the progression of the country.
