Although he was slated to present three Bills, Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee was noticeably absent for the first half of yesterday’s parliamentary sitting where Deputy Speaker Debra Backer made her position clear that she will not be entertaining any readings from him.
“…I am merely carrying out what I understand to be the decision of the majority of the House”, said Backer, who was at the time filling in for Speaker Raphael Trotman, who was absent due to out of town Parliamentary commitments.
Trotman was back in the House at the resumption of the second session while Rohee arrived sometime after that.
Rohee was down on the Supplementary Order Paper to present and deliver the first readings for the Evidence (Amendment) Bill 2013 and the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic (Amendment) Bill 2013. He was also scheduled to introduce the Firearms (Amendment) Bill 2012.
These came up about ten minutes into yesterday’s sitting.
Backer in making reference to the two bills on the Supplementary Order Paper said that “I have indicated that in keeping with the ruling of the House I will not entertain any introduction of any Bills while I am presiding, by the Honourable Minister of Home Affairs. As a matter of courtesy and I think as a matter of right I have indicated that to the government and to the opposition, prior to the sitting being commenced”.
She then indicated to the Clerk that he could proceed with the agenda for the session.
Later when reference was made to the Firearms (Amendment) Bill, Backer again repeated her position even as government expressed its dissatisfaction.
Prime Minister Samuel Hinds in addressing the House on the issue said “I heard your position but I think for the record sake I should say that the government doesn’t accept this position being taken by you…These two new Bills for first reading and this Bill in particular …it is our government’s strong view that the matter should have been proceeded with”.
Backer in response said that while she respects Hinds’ position, she did not agree with it.
At last week’s sitting Trotman had allowed Rohee to address the National Assembly but he made it clear the following day that any further speeches in the House by Rohee will be decided on a case-by-case basis until the controversy surrounding the motion of no confidence against him and the ensuing legal cases has been resolved.
While Trotman’s move was welcomed by government, it prompted a walk-out by the opposition.
On November 22, 2012 after almost five hours of fierce arguments in Parliament, Trotman ruled that a no-confidence motion brought by Opposition Leader David Granger to gag Rohee would be sent to the Privileges Committee for consideration and in the interim the minister would not be allowed to bring any motion to the House.
Five days later Attorney General Anil Nandlall challenged this decision in court. On December 7 last year, Trotman said he would not proceed with his plan to have the Committee of Privileges address the matter of Rohee’s speaking until the determination of the action that Nandlall had brought.
In an interim ruling on the matter on January 11 this year Chief Justice Ian Chang said that Rohee was an elected member of the House and as such had a right to speak in the National Assembly although it does not appear to be enforceable by the court.
The ruling it seemed left the question of Rohee’s speaking to the Speaker and the procedures of the House.
APNU has already decided that until Rohee resigns they will not entertain “any bill laid by him, extend no courtesies to him as a speaker and approve no monies for his ministries.”
