Deputy Speaker and APNU MP Deborah Backer is expected to release a statement shortly addressing her condition and possibly her future role as a parliamentarian.
After falling ill, Backer has missed several sittings of the National Assembly since early December last year. APNU has said that it has not taken a decision to replace Backer as one of its Members of Parliament.
APNU leader David Granger, when asked last Friday about Backer’s participation at the next sitting of the National Assembly, said that it depended on her condition and her own perception of her future role as a parliamentarian.
Granger told a news conference that he has since asked Backer, who is in Trinidad, to release a statement, rather than make one on her behalf. The statement, he said, will be ready before they go back to the National Assembly.
Asked if Backer will be able to attend the next sitting of Parliament, he said that he is not in a position to say since, “It depends on her condition and her own perception of her future role as a parliamentarian. This is a matter that was discussed in the shadow cabinet on Tuesday last and we have given her the option to assess the reports of the tests which she underwent and give us a feedback. She is aware of our views and we are aware of her condition as best we could and we are awaiting a statement,” he said.
