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Opposition continues to collect salaries from “dead” Parliament
The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has refused to return to the National Assembly, insisting that the legislative body is “dead”. But all the members of the Parliamentary Opposition have still been collecting their salaries and enjoying the other benefits accruing to persons who hold those posts.
Those benefits include duty free concessions.
Former Opposition Chief Whip, Gail Teixeira
It was former Chief Whip, Gail Teixeira, who declared with absolute certainty on September 20, 2019 that the National Assembly is dead. It should also be noted that Teixeira, who was forced to resign from her post in the National Assembly due to her dual citizenship, was leading a press conference by the ‘Parliamentary Opposition’ when she made the statement.
The Opposition had called the urgent meeting to discuss what they termed as President David Granger’s disregard for the Constitution. Earlier that day, the Alliance For Change (AFC) also held a press conference, during which it called on the PPP to head to the National Assembly when it reopens to support a motion, extending the three-month Constitutional deadline to Election Day, which is March 2, 2020, according to the President.
The Opposition was asked whether the PPP has discussed when it would be going back to Parliament to extend the Constitutional deadline. In response, Teixeira said, “There’s no Parliament. What are you talking about?”
She stated that the Parliament consists of the President, the Cabinet, the Executive, the Speaker and the National Assembly. Since the Constitutional deadline has long passed, and the Cabinet stood resigned, as per a dictate of Chief Justice Roxane George-Wiltshire, Teixeira is of the view that there is no National Assembly with the power to grant an extension of the Constitutional deadline.
She said that the Parliament could only have granted the extension before the end of the three-month deadline of March 21, 2019.
“The Parliament is dead.” Teixeira said, emphatically. “There is no recourse back to Parliament. It is over.”
Despite her fervor, Kaieteur News discovered, during a telephone conversation with Clerk of the National Assembly, Sherlock Isaacs, that no Opposition MP has requested a halt or redirection of their salary payments.
Isaacs told this publication that all Opposition MPs are in receipt of their monthly salaries.
In its refusal to head to Parliament, pursuant to its protest of the APNU/AFC Coalition’s occupation of Government beyond March 21, 2019, the Opposition has missed several sittings. It has also indicated that it will not be attending the next.
Parliament comes out of recess on October 10, 2019.
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