Last Wednesday saw the opening of the eleventh Parliament of Guyana with the much-welcome fanfare, pomp and ceremony, following the 11 May 2015 national and regional elections. The area around Parliament Buildings was nicely spruced up and looked quite impressive for the occasion, a phenomenon that has been absent for quite a while. It is a good sign for the functioning of the highest decision-making body of the land. One hopes that the Clerk of the National Assembly will ensure that the cleanliness and orderliness of the area will continue to be maintained.
Re-opening of Parliament
The life of the tenth Parliament was prematurely brought to an end following its dissolution with effect from 28 February 2015. Earlier, on 10 November 2014, the former President had prorogued Parliament on the date it was set to resume its sittings after two months of recess. This action was to stave off a vote of no confidence on his government, precipitated by the unauthorized expenditure of $4.554 billion that the former Minister of Finance caused to be incurred.
The last sitting of Parliament took place on 10 July 2014, and therefore there was an absence of a functioning Parliament for eleven months – a significant blow for democratic norms and values. According to the President, “No democracy should tolerate such perversity,” In his speech at his swearing-in ceremony, the President vowed not to prorogue Parliament during his tenure.
Address by the President
In his address to Parliamentarians in the presence of the diplomatic community, civil society organisations and prominent citizens, the President set out in general terms the legislative agenda of the National Assembly. This includes:
- Putting a cap on the benefits of former Presidents, including tax-free concessions and specifying conditions under which the benefits are to be enjoyed. This has been a controversial issue since the related legislation was passed in 2009. This column believes that, with Guyana’s per capita income being US$3,410 – the second lowest in the Caribbean, the benefits are indeed excessive and unconscionable, even when one compares them with those of former Presidents and Prime Ministers in other countries in far better economic standing;
- Tabling the long awaited amendments to the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Act to bring it in line with international standards. In the tenth Parliament, this issue had reached a stalemate over the extent of the amendments. The then Administration argued, quite inexplicably, for minimal amendments, while the combined Opposition wanted a more comprehensive review of the legislation in view of the extent of drug trafficking and crime, perceptions of corruption, and the high potential for money laundering;
- Providing for the financial autonomy of certain constitutional agencies, such as the service commissions and the Guyana Elections Commission. Despite the constitutional amendments of 2001, the Ministry of Finance continued to maintain a stranglehold on the extent of financial resources provided to these agencies;
- Introducing additional legislation on telecommunications, public utilities and broadcasting;
- Tabling of the Local Government (Amendment) Bill to allow for the setting of the date of local government elections. These elections were last held in 1994 although the law provides for them to take place every three years. As a result, for 18 years, citizens were denied their democratic right to choose who amongst them should be responsible for managing the affairs of their local communities;
- Granting the National Assembly administrative, institutional, political, and financial autonomy, including its own budget office and own Parliamentary Counsel. At present, we are faced with the anomalous situation where the Chief Parliamentary Counsel operates out of the Office of the Attorney General rather than through Parliament Office. In the tenth Parliament, his services were not made available to the political Opposition which held the majority in the Assembly; and
- Providing for an independent office of the Clerk of the National Assembly to allow for greater autonomy and flexibility in appointing staff of the Parliament Office.
Other measures include: (a) crafting of a long-term national economic strategy: (b) reforming the taxation system, including consideration for a possible reduction in VAT; (c) revising the relevant labour legislation; (d) providing moderate increases in public service wages as well as those of police officers; (e) adopting a “one nation” approach to poverty reduction through job creation, especially for young people; (f) eliminating one-party domination of the government; (g) eradicating what the President described as enemies of the people, such as crime, disease and ignorance; (h) equitable access to health care; (i) empowering and protecting womenfolk; (j) providing better education; (k) restoring the subvention to the Critchlow Labour College; (l) improving the country’s infrastructure; (m) creating better investment opportunities; (n) enhancing local, municipal and parliamentary democracy; (o) eliminating ethnic insecurity; (p) expanding economic enterprise; (q) establishment of a Sovereign Wealth Fund, derived from revenues from the forests, mines, waters, lands and other natural resources to benefit future generations; (r) enriching cultural life; and (s) deepening national consciousness.
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No show by the Opposition
It is unfortunate that the political Opposition chose to boycott this historic event because of its belief that there were irregularities in the electoral process. However, all the various groups that were invited to observe the elections have pronounced conclusively that there was no evidence of electoral malpractice. The diplomatic community and several civil society organisations have also urged the Opposition party to accept the results.
Recently, the outgoing Canadian High Commissioner added her voice in calling on the Opposition to take their seats in the National Assembly. She also urged the swift enactment of electoral reforms, especially as regards the abuse of resources during the election period. Stabroek News has quoted the High Commissioner as having said, “There is an obligation to represent the people that voted for you and also there is a very strong and important role for the opposition to play in holding the new government accountable. That’s why Parliament is there and they can hold the new government accountable through constructive engagement in the National Assembly”. She also argued that in many countries it has been demonstrated that strong opposition equals strong government. Similar sentiments were expressed by the US Charge d’ Affaires who urged the PPP/C to accept the status of political opposition by taking up their seats in the Assembly and participate in the governance of the country. The British High Commissioner, for his part, believes that the absence of the Opposition in the Assembly will adversely affect the effective functioning of this important national institution.
By not taking up their seats in the Assembly and committing themselves to performing their functions in a responsible and effective manner, the Opposition members are not only undermining an essential aspect of our democratic process but are also letting down 49 per cent of the electorate that have voted for them to represent their interest. In declaring the Eleventh Parliament open, the President called on the Opposition to leave the “hostility and rancour” of the campaign trail behind them and join the coalition government to serve the people. He reminded the Opposition that a month ago, thousands of Guyanese elected to assist in a collaborative approach to confront the challenges facing the country.
The political Opposition has the quintessential role to play in our system of democracy to participate in discussions and debates on matters of national importance; to provide valuable input in the passing of laws; to participate fully in the national budget process so that we have a well-crafted budget for the benefit of all; and indeed to provide the necessary checks and balances against potential excesses and abuse by the Executive. A responsible and effective Opposition is indispensable to the proper functioning of any democratic system of government. One hopes that the boycott of the Assembly is a temporary one and that Opposition members will take their rightful place when the Assembly convenes on 25 June.
Final word
One of the refreshing aspects of the President’s speech was the use of the words “your government” as opposed to “my government”. We have long been accustomed to hearing the latter, which smacks of arrogance and obsession with power. It is time we stop this arrogant behaviour. After all, elected officials are the servants of the people and must display the highest degree of humility in the exercise of their functions. The President has set the tone for a new direction, indeed a new beginning. One hopes that the use of “my government” has been banished to the dustbin of history.
Also of relevance was the live streaming of the opening of the Eleventh Parliament. This is a first for Guyana. It is a progressive step in that citizens of this country and the Guyanese diaspora can observe live the work of their elected representatives as they set about the onerous task of managing the affairs of the State and of making important decisions that affect their daily lives. It is sad that the Tenth Parliament was characterized by such bitterness, rancour, outright animosity, and indeed verbal abuse. Had the proceedings been broadcast live, our elected representatives would have had second thoughts about the things they said and the way they carried themselves in the highest national forum. Let us hope that the live broadcast of the proceedings of the Assembly will be an institutionalized arrangement.