The government and opposition remain on a collision course ahead of Monday’s parliamentary sitting as President Donald Ramotar appears set to follow through on a threat to either prorogue or dissolve parliament to avoid the combined opposition’s planned attempt to pass a no-confidence motion to force general elections.
“It is a legal option. It is the best option we have… we are not breaking any law, so I don’t know what misinformation the opposition is feeding the public… prorogation is catered for under the constitution,” a source close to the PPP told Stabroek News yesterday.
Other well-placed sources said that one of the predominant views at a high-level meeting of the governing People’s Progressive Party (PPP) held yesterday is for the suspension (prorogation) of the 65-seat House that is controlled by the opposition, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance For Change (AFC,) come Monday. Critics would see this as a clear attempt by the government to avoid general elections in three months as would be the case if the no-confidence motion is passed.
But even as the PPP’s top brass was meeting at the party headquarters, Freedom House, on Robb Street, to strategise for Monday’s showdown, the combined opposition remained resolute that it would go ahead with its no-confidence motion in the three-year old administration of President Ramotar.
The joint opposition also met yesterday at a high level meeting to finalise its plans for specific anticipated government moves come Monday.
In a joint statement, the parties said, “The combined opposition remains united in its commitment to the passage of the ‘no confidence motion’ tabled for passage in the National Assembly on Monday 10th November 2014.”
Representing APNU were Leader of the Opposition, Brigadier David Granger, Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine, Amna Ally, Carl Greenidge, Basil Williams, Joseph Harmon, Ronald Bulkan and Winston Felix.
The AFC was represented by its Leader, Khemraj Ramjattan, Moses Nagamootoo, Cathy Hughes, David Patterson, Valerie Garrido-Lowe and Michael Carrington.
Sources at that meeting told Stabroek News that the opposition was prepared for Monday’s sitting. “We are very prepared and are hell bent on ramming through this no confidence motion on Monday… let’s get it on… the people are long fed up,” one source said.
“A plan was crafted. We did solidify our approach of how we would deal with all possible outcomes… we fired up our resolve to deal with the no-confidence motion (but) we have to hold our cards close as well and not let plans get to the government’s ear so they have one over us,” another official of the opposition said.
All eyes will be on the Speaker of the House Raphael Trotman as he will be expected to make crucial rulings on Monday, when AFC MP Moses Nagamootoo rises to move the motion of no-confidence and when, as expected, the government tries to prevent this.
At his party’s weekly press conference yesterday, Granger did not rule out the possibility of intensified street protests in response to any suspension of this session of the Parliament.
Granger cautioned that the President was tinkering with trouble by emasculating the right of the people’s representatives to meet and deliberate in the House.
He said that Ramotar seeking a prorogatory escape from having the no-confidence motion debated in parliament was a cowardly one, robbing the populace of knowing why they will be going into fresh elections
“The president doesn’t seem to have worked out the possibility of an angry population. What he is doing is smothering the voices of the majority. He is preventing the elected representatives of the nation from assembling and going about the business of parliament,” Granger charged.
“There is no such state of emergency at this time that can justify such behaviour… he invented a crisis… the public should be able to get the opportunity to listen to the assessment of the National Assembly on the tenure of the president and his ministers over the last few years, have them held up to scrutiny… it is an important part of democracy for that to take place,” he added.
Granger acknowledged that the President would be exercising his legal authority to prorogue the parliament, but said in reality it amounted to an abuse of process.
Some experts say that a suspension would mean that all bills, motions and the work of all Committees will “automatically die” on the President’s proclamation. It also means that constitutionally Parliament may not meet for as much as another six months. It is yet unclear whether the President will convene a fresh sitting for the tabling, debate and passage of the 2015 budget by the constitutional deadline of April 30.
If, however, the President dissolves Parliament he will have to name Nomination Day and Election Day. The current Official List of Electors is valid until January 30, 2015.
