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Despite admission that govt. has fallen, we’re now told Cabinet is looking at legal implications
Dear Editor,
Each time there is a sitting of the National Assembly, I would habitually take a walk to Demico House across the street, and to parts of Stabroek Market to interact with vendors and laborers during the lunch-break. I do this because I need to know how decisions we make in Parliament affect the lives of ordinary Guyanese. Very often they would comment that ministers of government are so aloof, they would never do what I’m doing until they’re campaigning for votes.
This was evident when the entire Cabinet descended upon the Stabroek Market square, inviting vendors to “meet and greet your minister” on Christmas Eve after they were earlier declared persona non grata.
But they were scared from before. On the day of the No-confidence Motion, they were expecting thousands of supporters to amass in front of Parliament building, but only managed to scrape the barrel down to a disappointing hardcore few.
Now that this elitist group of APNU+AFC Ministers needs people, they’re now shamelessly asking them to come out in defense of the government, the same government that neglected them for three and a half years.
The point has already been made by former Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, other prominent lawyers and the Guyana Bar Association on the validity of the No-confidence Motion as it relates to Nigel Hughes’ fuzzy maths.
I will only ask if those who now question the passage of this Motion would have objected and demanded that government needed 34 votes to defeat the Motion had all 33 members of government voted against it. I guarantee, this would never have happened, and Nigel Hughes would not have come up with his jumbie equation to stir-up trouble.
Immediately following the fall of the Coalition Government, Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo held a Press Conference in which he admits that the Opposition’s Motion “was approved by a majority of all the elected members of the House.” This admission of defeat was echoed by President Granger and several Cabinet Ministers.
Editor, you may recall that in 2014 Carl Greenidge, until recent, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, said in an interview, that “because a no-confidence vote in the government is a major issue over the performance of the government, the behaviour of the government and the breaking of the law by the government, it needs to be followed by the resignation of the government and the calling of national elections.” But I wonder if he shares the same view now.
Despite previous admission that the government has fallen, we’re now being told that Cabinet is looking at the legal implications, and is likely to go to court to seek a reversal of the no-confidence vote taken in favor of the Parliamentary Opposition. The audacity of this government still having Cabinet meetings, flies in the face of Article 106 (6) of our Constitution which explicitly directs the entire Cabinet to resign.
Article 106 (6) of our Constitution is unambiguous. It clearly states that “The Cabinet including the President shall resign if the Government is defeated by the vote of a majority of all the elected members of the National Assembly on a vote of confidence.” This government has fallen, the President, the Cabinet and rest of Ministers must resign now! And since the APNU+AFC are so convinced that they have done great things for Guyana and its people, they should have problem calling new elections now.
Editor, I have listened carefully to the venomous statements made by PNCR Central Executive Member, Aubrey Norton who chaired a low-level press conference a few days ago. Clutching at straws, he accused former AFC Parliamentarian Charrandass Persaud of taking bribe from Bharrat Jagdeo and the PPP for voting his conscience. This is so ludicrous, I challenge anyone to produce hard evidence. From his interview with the press Charrandass was asked if he was paid by the PPP to which he replied that he was paid by Parliament Office for traveling expense as other MPs are entitled to.
This lie was is now being parroted by the PNC/APNU to maliciously spread false rumors, as I’m convinced that the PNC will not allow this care-taker government to resign. It is this very arrogance behavior and bullism that caused Charrandas to vote his conscience on December 21st.
The judiciary has an obligation to uphold the Constituency of Guyana at all times. I expect it will continue to do so.
Yours Respectfully
Harry Gill
PPP/C Member of Parliament
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