Govt’s approach to parliamentary process eroding Guyana’s democracy - Jagdeo

Govt’s approach to parliamentary process eroding Guyana’s democracy – Jagdeo

Jun 18, 2018 News

By Abena Rockcliffe-Campbell

The National Assembly has met only six times for the year. Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo pointed to this by saying that democracy is being eroded. Jagdeo said that this is one of the reasons that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic’s advocacy—for certain national issues to be resolved—remains at the level of him making announcements and pronouncements at his weekly press conferences.

Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo

Attorney-at-law, Christopher Ram

At his most recent Press Conference, Jagdeo was asked if the opposition has any intention of going the extra mile to ensure certain “ills” are corrected. Reference was made to the “worry” that Jagdeo expressed over the fact that the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) has been operating all year without a Board.
Jagdeo was asked if the PPP/C might look at avenues available via the parliamentary system to influence the change the party wishes to see.
He responded, “That’s when we can get our motions heard. In another country, where you have a thriving democracy, you have a weekly Parliament. Here, you have one where every two months we wait for a sitting. By the time you go through formalities and Nagamootoo needing to go home to rest, we only have three to four hours and then the government will say, ‘oh we need to bring something emergency, let us pass it.”
“They forget all of those issues (our motions) get deferred again. So that is what Parliament has become. We cannot even get our issues debated there. So when you have to wait two, three months to even get something on the agenda (the National Assembly Order Paper) and then another six months to have it debated, it defeats the entire argument about a functioning parliament. That is the limitation there.”
A few months ago, Attorney-at-law and Social Commentator, Christopher Ram noted that the first quarter of the year had been completed and the National Assembly convened only four times.
Ram said that such a state of affairs is not reflective of a country faring well with democracy.
He said that while the Coalition Government has proven to be friendlier with democracy in certain areas, the government’s performance in other areas is disappointing.
Ram said, “This Government has a much better record than its predecessor in terms of constitutional bodies and local government elections. But there are other developments that are cause for concern.
“President (David) Granger has appointed himself as the counterpoint to pronouncements by the judiciary. He has unilaterally handpicked a Chairman of the Elections Commission whose principal function is the declaration of who is to be President.”
Ram said that the Granger Government decides if and when the people’s representatives—the National Assembly—will meet and what business they can transact.
The National Assembly has had four sittings for the year even though 100 days have already passed.
The House met three times in January and once in March.
Ram said that this is unacceptable and “it is not the democracy that we have been promised.”
The National Assembly met twice after Ram’s comments were made, this was on April 27, and May 11.