PPP/C ‘latrine behaviour’ in Parliament heavily criticised

Nov 04, 2017 News

The Bharrat Jagdeo-led People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) displayed what has been referred to as ‘latrine behaviour’. The party sought to drown out the voice of President David Granger’s opening address at the

A PPP/C MP holds up a placard during President David Granger’s address to the National Assembly on Thursday.

71st sitting of the Parliament on Thursday.
Speaking at his post cabinet press briefing, yesterday, Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, criticised that the behaviour of the opposition which sought to wave placards and shout slogans during the President’s address, represented a significant departure from what is known as legitimate protest.
“The occasion itself was not a proper forum to exhibit that kind of behaviour before your President and before all of those persons whom you invited into your house. It’s like if you invite somebody into the home you try to show them the best, but when they come there you give them the latrine,” Harmon stated.
Prime Minister and First Vice President, Moses Nagamootoo, said President Granger discharged his responsibility well by delivering his address despite the noise from the opposition.
“I believe it is unprecedented…I have never seen political domestic terrorism introduced in the House the way I saw it [Thursday] because it was to terrorize the President from continuing, hoping that he would stop and walk away,” Nagamootoo stated.
He noted that Jagdeo and the PPP/C MPs were hiding behind platforms with babble, groaning, screaming, shouting and lamenting. It is infantile behaviour, Nagamootoo said.
“They have brought the House into disrepute and shame. I think that Jagdeo has much to answer for his leadership right now. He has proven to decent people who support the PPP that he has brought the party down to a level that it has never been. This is called gutter politics; trench-bottom politics,” Nagamoottoo said.
He said he believes that the Speaker, Dr. Bartland Scotland, will have to decide how to respond to the PPP/C behaviour in the Parliament.
“You have a head of state coming to address your national assembly on almost a formal opening of the national assembly. You’d expect your best decorum in the face of diplomats and envoys from different countries that if you have a disagreement with what the president said, then you would schedule a press conference after the President’s address and state your disagreement.”
Harmon recalled the swelling of national pride displayed by Guyanese following the May 2015 elections.
“It is this pride that we have to protect and we want to ensure that our national institutions and our national leaders are given that level of civility and courtesy in public life, particularly when you have to go to the National Assembly…it is our House and therefore, we should not allow this behaviour in the Parliament yesterday of parliamentary protestors in the House,” Harmon stated.
He stated that Guyanese are civil and courtesy people. He said that the behaviour displayed by the PPP/C was imported from the Stabroek Market.
“Let us not tear down national institutions,” Harmon cautioned.

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