Cabinet met today, according to the Department of Public Information (DPI). It had not been meeting following a January 31 decision by the High Court upholding the motion of no confidence of December 21, 2018.
The overturning of that decision by the Court of Appeal on Friday has cleared the way for Cabinet to meet.
According to DPI, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, had a few words to share prior to today’s meeting.
“We have maintained that the judiciary has an important role to play, and the fact that the Court of Appeal by a majority decision has found that the no-confidence motion has fallen, the government continues to do business for which it has been elected and so we are assured by the decision of the court of appeal that there is need for review of decisions of the lower court,” Nagamootoo said.
Minister of Social Protection, Amna Ally, shared her view on the decision of the Leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo to boycott parliamentary proceedings.
“The leader of the opposition is accustomed to boycotting everything… I am saying that it is not new for him to say that he is boycotting parliament. However, we are now restored to normalcy, we are going to go on, business must go on, the government’s business must go on and we are not about to let Bharrat Jagdeo and the PPP stop us in any way. We will be going to parliament and we will be dealing with matters of governance in the interest of the people of Guyana.”
DPI added that Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carl Greenidge gave his take on the ability of the government to make decisions in the absence of the cabinet meeting.
“I don’t know that there were any decisions that could not have been taken previously, the Chief Justice did say, and the constitution says that a president remains extant at all times, except when an election takes place, in the absence of an election a new president can’t go in place and once there is an existing president in place then… it is the president who is advised by his ministers. So, it is not a question of the cabinet, as it were, not being able to take any decision”, he said.
