Leader of the Opposition Aubrey Norton says that while he is yet to receive an official invitation from President Irfaan Ali for talks, any such forum should not be restricted to constitutional matters but also include issues affecting both government and the opposition.
Norton made the statement yesterday at his first press conference since being sworn in both as a Member of Parliament and Leader of the Opposition on Wednesday last.
The President has said that he will soon meet with Norton to discuss matters that the constitution mandates both leaders to consult on. Those matters include the appointment of the Chancellor of the Judiciary, the Chief Justice and the Commissioner of Police.
The Ali administration recently appointed Assistant Commissioner of Police, Clifton Hicken to act as Commissioner of Police with effect from March 30, 2022, after Deputy Commissioner Nigel Hoppie who was performing the duties of Commissioner proceeded on leave prior to retirement. The move has been criticised heavily by the Opposition with Norton labelling it as illegal and signalling his intention not to support Hicken’s appointment.
The appointment was made while the Opposition was without a leader since Joseph Harmon had already resigned from the post and Norton had not yet been sworn in.
At yesterday’s press conference, Norton said that he is ready to fulfil his responsibilities where the Guyana constitution dictates that the government must seek the agreement of or have meaningful consultations with the Leader of the Opposition.
“…on this score, further delays and excuses by the government in making judicial and other appointments can also be described for what they are: acts of bad faith and political machination,” he noted.
He added that he, too, would have read reports in the press stating that the President intends to meet with him in about two weeks’ time but noted that the meeting should be at a mutually agreeable date and time.
“I have not received any invite but if what the press is saying is that the President is saying that in two weeks we will meet, while I’m disposed to meeting, the President must recognize that both of us have things to do and that it has to be on a mutually agreed date and time. So I don’t know that the President can just in two weeks, regardless of the Coalition’s agenda, just decide when we will meet. It has to be mutually agreed that is the first thing,” Norton stated.
He added that as representatives of the people in the National Assembly, it is expected of both the APNU+AFC and the Office of Leader of the Opposition, that all concerns of the people are addressed and any agenda for a meeting with the President should include that.
“…while the constitution puts some clear obligations, the fact that we are elected representatives, that fact means that we have to deal with the other critical issues that affect the people of Guyana. So I think the agenda will have to include issues that are of concern to both the government and the Opposition,” he said.
When asked if the President refuses to engage him on matters outside of the constitutionally mandated agenda what happens, Norton said that he is of the view that President Ali is “a reasonable man” but added that if the meeting’s agenda is confined then “I will deal with it at that time.”
He reiterated that the Opposition represents the cause of the Guyanese people and in furthering the cause there will be matters outside of the constitutional agenda that require the input of both the government and the Opposition and he will push for that.
“Meetings with the President, should they occur, must extend beyond the appointment of commissioners and judges. Meetings must also discuss Opposition concerns about good governance and the abuse of political power, including the discrimination against opposition-led local councils, the uneven and incomplete distribution of flood and other relief, the unsatisfactory oversight of the nation’s patrimony in the NRF (Natural Resource Fund), and the abuses of human and legal rights by some rogue police ranks,” he said.
The Leader of the Opposition added “I believe you cannot deal with one and not the other and it is my sincere hope that good sense will prevail and we attempt to deal with the issues in the society in a holistic way rather than in a piecemeal fashion that will generate its own problems.
Priorities
While reading from a prepared statement, Norton outlined his priorities as the new Leader of the Opposition. He noted that his first obligation to the people of Guyana is to outline, in broad terms, how his constitutional responsibilities to the nation are envisaged, and ideas on building an effective and people-oriented National Assembly.
He explained that those ideas will be discussed within the PNCR and with the coalition partners.
Norton told reporters that one of his focuses will be building an effective National Assembly, contending that the current Parliament has not delivered on the expectations of the 1999/2000 constitution reform process.
“In fact, as shown by the recent passage of the PPP/C Motion to change the quorum for the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), the work of parliament has regressed. It remains ineffective in the scrutiny and investigation of government decisions and actions. It continues to fail to hold the government accountable,” he added.
He outlined five priorities for achieving a much more effective National Assembly saying that the Opposition will be pushing for more sittings of the House; public hearings on Bills and appointments among others; encouraging motions from civil society and the wider society; increased use of Private Members’ Day; funding of constituency offices for MPs and the establishment of research facilities for MPs.
Additionally, he said that the Opposition intends to hold the government accountable by energizing and refocusing the oversight and investigative powers of the four Parliamentary Sectoral Committees, especially those for economic affairs and the social sector.
Norton said, “[the Opposition intends to] resist all attempts by the Speaker of the House to undermine and restrict the Opposition to freely present its views and positions through open debate, tabling of motions, and questioning of Ministers.”
Furthermore, he said that the Opposition will ensure that the National Communications Network and other state media provide fair and equitable coverage of Opposition MPs as well as increase the number of meetings and engagements of Opposition MPs with all segments of the Guyana society.
He acknowledged that the outlined objectives cannot be achieved “by the stroke of a pen” but pledged to begin the process of achieving them.
“As a leader of a party and coalitions of parties, we will present to the nation a superior alternative than the current regime in managing the affairs of the country. In this regard, we will work to ensure that the Opposition not only opposes but proposes solutions and a vision for every aspect of national life in Guyana,” Norton pledged.
