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Guyana’s Parliament seeks assistance from T&T
… Clerk “unclear” on how to deal with House’s resolutions
Sherlock Isaacs
By Gary Eleazar
It has been called the new political dispensation; the Finance Minister calls it uncharted waters, the Working People’s Alliance (WPA) calls it deadlocked, the Speaker of the National Assembly says let’s wait and see, and the Leader of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) says there is no blueprint for Guyana’s current political climate.
One thing that is clear is the fact that Clerk of the National Assembly, Sherlock Isaacs is currently “unclear” on the way forward on the Parliamentary demands made of the Government.
Isaacs in an exclusive interview with this publication yesterday said that the House had always operated under the premise that Parliamentary resolutions are “binding.” Isaacs told Kaieteur News that these resolutions may very well not be binding and he is currently soliciting external assistance.
The matter has been brought to the fore as a result of the refusal of the Guyana Government to abide with the resolutions in an Opposition motion on State Assets, in particular those controlled by the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL).
In that motion, the House has already approved a resolution that monies be provided for an independent probe of NICIL as well as the full disclosure of information related to privatisation deals among a host of other measures.
The government’s legal advisor, in the form of Attorney General Anil Nandlall, says that there is “nothing in law” to compel the Government to abide with any of the resolutions/demands.
Isaacs, as Clerk of the National Assembly, is custodian of the Standing Orders, and he told this publication that he is informed by the Attorney General that the resolutions are not binding on the Government in any way.
As such, Isaacs says that he is currently seeking external support in determining what protocol obtains as it relates to the binding nature of the motions of Parliament. He admitted to soliciting help from the Clerk of Trinidad and Tobago’s Parliament, Jackie Sampson.
The T&T Parliament falls within the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, of which Guyana is also a member.
Asked recently about the next step, in light of the Government’s open refusal to abide with the Parliamentary resolutions, leader of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Brigadier (ret.) David Granger says that the coalition will have to consult with the Alliance for Change (AFC).
AFC Chairman Khemraj Ramjattan had indicated in the past that a failure on the part of the Government to abide with the resolutions of the House would force action with a view to having the subject ministers committed to the Committee of Privileges.
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