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Rohee’s comments on ceding deputy speakership proves that PPP are all illiberal autocrats – Ramjattan
The Alliance For Change (AFC) has outlined that Government better start getting used to a framework of multiparty
Leader of the AFC Khemraj Ramjattan
governance, since the plurality framework that they are looking for will no longer exist.
The party was at the time responding to the comments made by General Secretary of the Peoples Progressive Party (PPP), Clement Rohee, who said that the Deputy Speaker position should be ceded to the government since that is how it was done when they had the majority with the Parliament.
However, leader of the AFC Khemraj Ramjattan has called Rohee’s sentiments “absurd”, citing that the Deputy Speakership “only went to the Opposition because the Government never nominated any candidate on its behalf. The configuration of the various committees reflects the proportionality of the Opposition against the Government in the National Assembly.”
According to Ramjattan, that decision was in consonance with the Constitution and the Standing Orders of Parliament. He said further that the Opposition is not ceding anything to the minority Government. “He should be reminded that the majority Opposition has taken nothing from the minority Government.”
Ramjattan outlined that Government still retains its Executive power, meaning all prerogative powers. “It still retains its dominance of the Parliamentary agenda. Government’s business under the Standing Orders still takes precedence at every sitting, except on Private Members’ day, which are few and far between. Control of spending and financial allocations are still matters remaining wholly in Government, except when the majority Opposition exercises its constitutional power to not approve those line items it sees fit. And of course Government still controls the political and legislative agenda.”
Moreover, Ramjattan said, the majority Opposition “has never asked for anything which is outside its jurisdiction or legal realm. If anything at all, the Opposition has asked for what the Constitution, our supreme law, has prescribed. The Public Procurement Commission is an example. Local Government Elections is another. It is the minority PPP Government which is not ceding to Guyanese that which belongs to them by an exhibition of unwarranted denial or utter deprivation. They are the ones who are violators of the Constitution.
“Rather than conduct Government’s business with an eye towards a greater happiness for all Guyanese, they conduct business purely with an eye to the next election where they hope to regain that lost majority. Well they are in for a surprise. If they don’t lose the plurality, their minority status will be worse than now. So they better start attuning themselves to a framework of multi-party governance from now,” said Ramjattan.
The AFC leader alluded that there are benefits to be had under this dispensation, including more accountability, more inclusiveness, more reforms, more policy deals and concessions in the national interest. “If only the Rohees and Ramotars in the PPP can be more visionary and statesmanlike, rather than griping and groaning as they have been. But then again coming from the belly of the beast, I think I can authoritatively pronounce that they were never liberal democrats. They are all illiberal autocrats.”
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