Backer moves to interrogate Finance Minister on contempt charges

Mar 11, 2010 News

Shadow Home Affairs Minister Deborah Backer will today move a motion in the House to seek to question through counsel, Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh, as it relates to the case he made out against her citing contempt.
Backer in her Motion as is spelt out in the Order Paper for today’s sitting of the National Assembly, states that the rules of natural justice, dictate that an accused person be given an opportunity to question his or her accuser.
Backer points out that the National Assembly as the highest court of Guyana is duty bound to adhere to the tenets of natural justice.
According to Backer, after the Finance Minister successfully made out a prima facie case against her to determine whether she was in contempt of the House as it relates to statements she made about ranks of the Guyana Defence Force and torture, she was informed by the clerk that in order to question Dr Singh she needed to file a motion.
The matter arose from the debate of a motion at the October 15, 2009 sitting, tabled by Minister of Home Affairs, Clement Rohee, which sought to deploy 90 ranks from the GDF to provide security support to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), held in November.
In her argument, Backer questioned whether Guyanese soldiers were going to Trinidad and Tobago “to torture people”.
In agreeing to refer Backer to the Committee of Privileges on charges of contempt of the National Assembly, members of the Government’s side have expressed the view that her offensive statement casts aspersions on the thousands of hardworking young Guyanese men and women who serve with distinction in the Disciplined Forces and their families and, by extension, is an affront to the Guyanese people.
When the National Assembly considered the motion to refer Backer to the Committee of Privileges, Speaker of the National Assembly Ralph Ramkarran ruled in favour of proceeding with a motion which signaled unanimous disapproval of the said statement purportedly made by Backer.
At that time, the Speaker had ruled that a prima facie case had been established against Backer, clearing the way for the matter to be taken before the Committee of Privileges.
Earlier last year, 66 GDF ranks and 31 ranks from the GPF were deployed to Trinidad and Tobago for the Fifth Summit of The Americas.
During this deployment Director of Security for the Summit, Trinidadian Lt. Colonel Kenrick Maharaj was quoted as describing Guyana ’s support as invaluable.

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Backer moves to interrogate Finance Minister on contempt charges

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