Clerk of the National Assembly Sherlock Isaacs has written to A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) stating that setting a date for the sitting of the House cannot be forced through lobbying.
This was disclosed by Opposition Leader David Granger who told the media yesterday that while he has received correspondence from the Alliance For Change requesting his group’s support to have Speaker Raphael Trotman set a date, it was “not in our hands.”
The AFC on Thursday announced that it had formally written Granger, leader of the main opposition coalition, requesting support for a date so that it could proceed with its no-confidence motion against the government.
Isaacs told Stabroek News this week that the government has to set the date for the next sitting as the two chief whips have failed to reach agreement. The AFC wants an immediate sitting to have its no confidence motion heard and voted on, likely triggering early general elections. Observers say the government therefore wants to delay the first siting until it feels that it is ready.
Isaacs has cited Standing Order 8 (2) to support his position. It states: “If, during an adjournment of the Assembly, it is represented to the Speaker by the Government, or the Speaker is of the opinion, that the public interest requires that the Assembly should meet on a day earlier than that to which it stands adjourned, the Speaker may give notice accordingly and the Assembly shall meet at the time stated in such notice.”
What is not made clear in the Standing Orders was whether or not Trotman could call for a sitting in the absence of government formally setting a date. Trotman had previously told Stabroek News that he would consider calling an emergency sitting of the National Assembly should the majority of the House make a formal request. He was speaking then ahead of the parliamentary recess.
Isaacs told Stabroek News on Wednesday that it was not possible in his view for the Speaker to set a date and that the Speaker only had the authority to adjust a date should the public interest arise.
He said that as far as he was concerned, there was nothing within the Standing Orders that would allow the opposition to potentially call a sitting of the National Assembly. He noted that the Standing Order 8 (2) had a “catch” that ensured the Speaker would only have the authority to call an earlier sitting once the government had set a date. No date was set for resumption following the annual parliamentary recess has only just concluded.
Granger said that he received a letter from Isaacs to this effect and while he was looking forward to Parliament’s resumption, there was not much he could do to hasten the sitting.
“We also received a copy of the letter from the clerk of the National Assembly which pointed out that in response to (AFC MP) Mr. (Moses) Nagamootoo the matter was not one which can be resolved or one that was subjected to lobbying by the opposition,” he said.
“It was motivated by the government agenda but APNU did respond to the request of AFC… yes, we are looking forward but it is not in our hands,” he added.
Head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr Roger Luncheon has said that there was critical government business that needed to be addressed and contrary to the public perception the government was not withholding setting a date for the next sitting to avoid the no-confidence motion.
