As the end of his tenure nears, Speaker of the National Assembly Raphael Trotman says he is disappointed at the inability of the parliamentary parties to find consensus on many issues and he believes the Tenth Parliament will be defined more by its failings than its successes.
Trotman is not eager to seek elected office again, but he has not ruled out serving once more although he says he does not want to preside over gridlock again.
“The Tenth Parliament should have delivered, because I think that is the mandate that the people of Guyana sent the three political parties to the National Assembly with; that we have not given any of you absolute power through a majority, therefore, it is our expectation as a people that you work together in our best interest,” Trotman told Sunday Stabroek in a recent interview.
However, he said collectively all the parties failed to fulfil their mandate, even with his attempts to broker consensus on many occasions behind the scenes.
President Donald Ramotar last week announced May 11, as the date for general and regional elections and once he issues a proclamation to dissolve Parliament to facilitate the polls Trotman’s tenure as Speaker would end.
Trotman’s appointment as Speaker was historic since it was the first time in the country’s democratic history that the party in government was unable to appoint a Speaker of its choice. The ruling PPP/C was denied the majority by Guyanese who voted at the 2011 elections, where APNU and the AFC won a combined one-seat parliamentary majority, which they used to appoint Trotman as Speaker.
Trotman was generally viewed as the “opposition Speaker” because the ruling party did not support his appointment and he presided over many acrimonious sittings and on occasion he was forced to abruptly adjourn proceedings when the exchanges among the two sides got heated.
The opposition parties have frequently accused the government of not recognising its minority status, while the government accused them of attempting a “one-seat dictatorship.” Some bills brought by the government for passage were disapproved, while those brought and passed by the opposition were vetoed by the president. In each of the three years the Tenth Parliament sat, the national budget was slashed, resulting in ongoing litigation.
It is in this light that Trotman thinks the parties failed the people of Guyana, whom he believes wanted them to work together for the greater good of the country.
At the same time, Trotman says, he was still able to achieve a lot institutionally and in the area of training, with the help of the Parliament Office staff—with whom he has been impressed—and MPs. He said when he became Speaker, he had set himself a clear objective that he would attempted to make the National Assembly transparent and accessible to the people and have greater consensus in and among the parties.
“In the first instance, I had set myself a list of about 15 things; about 12 of them have been achieved…,” Trotman said, while naming visits by parliamentarians to seven of the 10 administrative regions as one of the achievements.
During those visits, Trotman said, the MPs travelled as a team and not as representatives of their respective parties. They also “bonded as a group,” he said, as they presented themselves to “students and their teachers and citizens.” He also highlighted the upgrading of the Information Technology capacity of the National Assembly, including the overhauling of its website and saw live streaming of debates as well as publication of the rulings of the Speakers up the Ninth Parliament as being among the achievements.
‘Frequent fights’
“Where we fell short was in our frequent fights and not being able to pass as much legislation as I thought,” Trotman said, while noting that there were starts and stops and some promising spurts.
Nevertheless, he said he “thoroughly enjoyed” his stint as Speaker, while adding that he understood the “cut and thrust,” since he was once a parliamentarian. “But having come from the floor myself, I know how it gets and how tempers flare…,” he added.
Asked if he would serve again, Trotman did not know but added that he would wait to see what the parties decide even though he made it clear that he does not want to go back and preside over a gridlock.
Trotman said he wants to be something that takes Guyana forward and that is how he sees the role of a Speaker, especially in a minority government. He believes this is the reason why there were times when all sides were not pleased with his rulings.
At present, he does not think he would be seeking elected office again. “But I have made my contributions and one of the things I am proud of… is that, at last count I gave over 30 written rulings,” he said, adding that he did them in writing because he wants them to be scrutinised.
Arm’s length
Asked about his future with the Alliance For Change (AFC), a party he co-founded, Trotman explained that when he became Speaker he deliberately took an arm’s length approach to the party. However, he did not resign from the party and he attended some executive meetings.
Once Parliament is dissolved, he said he would be free to participate in some regards as it relates to the party’s campaign and he expects that it would identify what his role would be. “But I think it is well known within and outside the party that I want to play more of a role addressing issues of healing and reconciliation and how do we put things on a forward track,” he said.
Asked whether he would be among the party’s candidates for the upcoming elections, Trotman said he was not sure the party would put him as one and he would not be seeking to be elected. “But if I am asked I would consider,” he added.
Unity government
Like many citizens, Trotman said he is disgruntled over the country’s fractured political system, since he believes the politicians are capable of better and within the three main political groups there are people he respects who are capable of making wholesome contributions towards the development of the country.
This is why he is partial to the idea of a national unity government, which would have to comprise members of the ruling party and members of opposition and which is only possible if there is a change of government. He said he would be a “champion” for such a government and holding his own colleagues’ “feet to the fire, saying you have to reach across.” Such a government would also include civil society and not let the politicians “hog it all,” he added.
Guyana has a population of less than 800,000 and it is estimated that nearly 90% of skilled Guyanese live and work in another country. Of the remainder, Trotman said half are trying to leave permanently, while another percentage is totally disinterested and disgusted by the politics. “So you really have about 5% with some degree of qualification working… in the body politic and of that 5% they are fighting each other. And then you want to know why is it we are not progressing as a nation?” he said.
In this context, he said the only way the country can progress is if there is a national agenda, which is the kind of political work he is interested in. He made it clear that he would have no part in attempting to destroy people even though he is “a victim” of such attempts. “But that doesn’t mean I must pick a gun and actively go to destroy them,” he said. “I prefer to go elsewhere and work with youth groups or others making a contribution but I don’t want to get involved in destroying a person simply because he or she comes from a particular party or the texture of their hair is different to mine or their surname is different to mine…. That is not working and I am wise enough and old enough now to know that is not what I want for myself,” he added.
Trotman said he believes the country is ready for a change in government and he thinks the administration understands that a democracy has to breathe. He noted that there has only been a change of government in Guyana once in 50 years and the country’s democracy is suffocating.
He said the opposition politicians have to let those in the PPP/C know it is okay to give up power instead of threatening to be jail or banish them. “We have to actually let the PPP/Civic know that it is okay to give up power. They are petrified because I do know some members and ministers and I do believe they’re petrified,” he said, while adding that a responsible opposition taking power has to resist the demands to take revenge because five years could be spent doing this while ignoring the needs of the people.
