The PPP/C last week reiterated its disappointment in the majority opposition voting down the Firearms (Amendment) Bill 2013 calling the decision the beginning of “parliamentary assassination, vindictive and anti national”.
“This bill is not about Minister Rohee. This bill is about our national interest. We see here that the APNU is prepared to sacrifice our national interest for political interest. I think this is a serious blow to our country,” said Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee.
At last Thursday’s sitting of the National Assembly the majority opposition voted against the Firearms (Amendment) Bill 2013 in the National Assembly, holding fast to its resolve not to allow the passage of any piece of legislation piloted by Rohee, who they had passed a motion of no-confidence against last year.
The Bill was meant to reduce the flow of illegal firearms into the country and close loopholes in the law which allows persons held over trafficking in firearms to escape prosecution.
Leader of the Opposition David Granger defended the move saying “There is a greater danger in Rohee remaining as the minister responsible for public security and we are seeing it every day. We are seeing the problem of traffic fatalities; we are seeing the problems in the mining areas and that is the greater danger. Mr Rohee must leave the Ministry of Home Affairs. We will not approve any Bill brought by Clement Rohee as long as he is Minister of Home Affairs.”
Rohee questioned if by a process of deduction the non support meant that the opposition was encouraging the flow of illegal arms in this country. “Are we to draw the same conclusion that the opposition, by complicity, [will] allow persons who engage in these criminal activity to do so? We have gaps in our law and we are seeking to correct those gaps. Lo and behold it was shot down by the opposition,” he said.
“It seems to me, that to them, Rohee’s head is much more valuable than the protection of our national sovereignty because once firearms flow across your border it is harming your national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he added.
Approached for a comment after the vote on the Bill, Rohee had said that the opposition’s position was not unexpected. “They have said time and time again that they will vote against any Bill that I bring to the National Assembly and they have remained true to their word. So I was not labouring under any illusion that they would not have, and if they think that it is a defeat for me, it is a victory for the government… because they will now have to explain why they voted against something aimed at stemming the flow of firearms in Guyana,” he said.
“The world is moving in this direction and here we have an opposition that seems to be in favour of firearms entering this country and I as the Minister of Home Affairs am very concerned about an opposition that supports firearms coming through the borders of our country which is sending the wrong signals to the criminals in Guyana,” he said. “How will this be seen by law abiding citizens of Guyana? This is not a blow to the government… I see this as a victory to the government… We are in a political struggle,” he said.
“The Opposition have dug in their heels…they have failed to get me [prohibited from speaking]. They failed in the court and having failed on those counts they are now trying to save face,” he said.
PPP’s Chief Whip and Presidential Advisor on Governance, Gail Teixeira, also weighed in saying that that it was not the first time the opposition took aim at discrediting members of her party. “This is not the first time. This is probably the most targeted and systemic in its approach… They certainly did it with Minister Gajraj, as a former home affairs minister, despite the Commission of Inquiry that vindicated him too. They did with Minister Leslie Ramsammy, as the Minister of Health, and the accusations with the narco state, and Leslie too was interrupted and booed down. Now it is Minister Rohee. The difference is not the tactic it’s the methodology,” she said.
“The inexplicable irony is that the opposition has made the issue of crime and security one of their key platforms against Minister Rohee, but when the firearms bill is brought before the house, which would enhance Guyana’s capacity to address some of these concerns, the combined opposition takes a myopic and anti-national position.”
