In the midst of the inconvenience brought about by the recent spate of blackouts along the coast, the government and opposition are still engaged in a ‘back and forth’ with regard to the Guyana Power and Light Inc’s (GPL) responsibilities.
The most recent episode concerns an invitation by email, seen by this newspaper, sent by Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar, which invited members of the Economic Services Committee of parliament to a meeting with Prime Minister Mark Phillips yesterday at 3:00pm, at his office in Georgetown.
According to the invitation there was only a single item listed on the agenda for the meeting. “1. Updates on GPL and the recent power outages.”
However, in his reply to the email, which was also seen by Stabroek News, the Chairman of the Economic Services Committee, Opposition MP, Shurwayne Holder, rebuffed the Minister’s invitation.
He began by reminding that the Economic Services Committee had made a unanimous decision to request that officials with responsibility for policy and administration of GPL appear before the committee on May 8, 2024, and went on to list the following three reasons why the Committee members would not be attending the meeting. 1) The invitation is in contravention of the decision of the Economic Services Committee as stated above. 2) The request is inappropriate because Parliamentary protocol and practice dictate that it is the Economic Services Committee which summons witnesses and not the reverse. And 3) Such a meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office will not allow a public hearing and the recording of the Parliamentary proceedings. “In view of the above, I, as Chairman of the Economic Services Committee cannot attend such a meeting.”
The letter concluded by stating that if the Prime Minister is willing to speak to the Committee about GPL, as the invitation indicates, then the Chairman will raise it with the Committee so that he (Prime Minister) could be formally invited. “Notwithstanding, the Prime Minister can indicate when he would be available to appear before the committee,” it added.
