Government Chief Whip Amna Ally on Thursday refuted the PPP/C’s claim that it had been denied a Members’ Day for opposition business at last week’s sitting of the National Assembly.
Three opposition motions, which had been on the order paper for the November 4th sitting, were shelved after government suspended the Standing Orders to facilitate a debate on a motion by Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo for the House to express its appreciation to President David Granger for his recent parliamentary address and to approve the policies and plans he had outlined.
As a result, the PPP/C, in a statement, complained that it was being subjected to a “constant battle” to have its right to a Members’ Day upheld, while noting that by its calculations the sitting was scheduled to be a Private Members’ Day. It said it was surprised to learn of the move to debate the president’s speech. “The Government Chief Whip has asserted that this is a government day and not a Private Members’ Day. If the latter is so which we dispute vigorously based on the Standing Orders and the constitution, the Government should be ashamed to have one item alone which required a suspension motion as it did not have the required 6 days’ notice,” it said.
However, addressing reporters at a post-Cabinet news conference on Thursday, Ally said the opposition’s accusations were calculated to mislead the public since PPP/C Chief Whip Gail Teixeira’s familiarity with the Standing Orders and the Constitution rule out the possibility of misconception.
“Members’ Day was not hijacked. We have to work with what the Constitution and Standing Orders say, less we fall into chaos…. the business of Parliament is guided by the Standing Orders. Standing Orders 24:2 makes reference to sittings of the National Assembly when we can have them and when the opposition is entitled to have precedence in these Sittings,” Ally said, before referring to constitutional provisions that “elucidate” when and how sittings of the National Assembly must take place.
Against this background, Ally argued that the next member’s day is the 48th sitting of the House.
Ally added that calculations by the two Chief Whips and Speaker Barton Scotland saw the next Members’ Day falling in January, 2017. Despite this calculation, she said a compromise was negotiated by Speaker that will see the next Members’ Day being observed at the next parliamentary sitting on November 21st.
In its statement, the PPP/C noted that the role of a parliamentary opposition to hold the government accountable and to have its day in the legislature is a fundamental premise guarded in democratic parliaments. It added that in the 17 months and 44 sittings of the 11th Parliament, the PPP/C had been able to have only four Members’ Days and all after much controversy and battles.
