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Rights of Indigenous people of Guyana are under serious threats – Opposition MP
CPA parliamentary seminar…
Kaieteur News – The curtains came down on Wednesday on the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), two-day seminar that targeted the various areas of discussion, aimed at improving relations among Members of Parliament within the Twelfth Parliament of Guyana.
Opposition Member of Parliament (MP) Vincent Henry.
Members of Guyana’s National Assembly attended the seminar, which was held at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC) located at Liliendaal, Georgetown.
During the opening ceremony on Tuesday, Opposition Member of Parliament (MP) Vincent Henry in his remarks outlined what he described as the ‘biasness’ of Guyana’s National Assembly. MP Henry opened his addressed by saying, “One hallmark of democracy is inclusivity. This government sings a call for a one Guyana but practices the opposite.” He stated too that the Opposition represents a large section of Guyana’s population and as such, the manner in which the opposition is being treated by the government is alarming.
“One of the many examples is at the recent 52nd Republic Anniversary and national flag raising ceremony, we the opposition MPs was not even granted the common courtesy of an invitation to attend,” the MP highlighted.
Henry stated that parliamentary sittings are seen to be treated more as impediments than being necessary. He added that when there is a need to access the consolidated fund, “one may rest assure that parliament will be held.”
In making his case, the MP stated that recently the government used its majority to change the quorum of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), so as to stymie its work by their nonattendance whenever issues to be dealt with are not in their favour. “If you ask Guyanese to honestly say whether parliament exudes fairness, they will answer in the negative. Opposition Motions do not normally get the nod in parliament,” Henry noted.
It was highlighted during his remarks that when a government MP commits an infraction, it is ignored, or nothing comes out of the issue. However, he said, on the other hand, opposition MPs are sanctioned.
Henry noted too, about the way female opposition MPs are being treated in the National Assembly by some members of the government MPs. In giving an example Henry said, “The dildo insult by a government MP standing on his feet, was ignored by the speaker and the only issue that have big apology, was when an opposition MP objected. Unfairly, the opposition MP was suspended and the government MP got off scotch free.”
Further, Henry stated that as an Indigenous representative, the existential rights of the Indigenous people of Guyana are under serious threats by the current government.
Moreover, several international parliamentary organisations, including ParlAmericas and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) were a part of the two-day seminar. The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia and Canada, was also involved in the seminar through its twinning programme with the Parliament of Guyana, which supports inter-parliamentary co-operation.
Some topics that were covered during the seminar include the committee system, outreach and representation, and technological innovation for Parliaments. The CPA supports Parliamentarians and parliamentary staff across the Commonwealth to uphold the benchmarks of good governance and implement the enduring values of the Commonwealth. The Parliament of Guyana has been a Member of the CPA since 1939 and previously hosted a CPA programme in 2016, when Guyanese Parliamentarians took part in a CPA Post-Election Seminar in Georgetown.
Also, the participation of the National Assembly of Suriname represents the first time that a non-Commonwealth Caribbean country has joined a CPA seminar, with the aim of sharing knowledge and promoting cross-border parliamentary collaboration.
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