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Opposition signals boycott of Parliament over members’ suspension
Kaieteur News – The Parliamentary opposition is hoping to secure a court order preventing the suspension of eight of its Members of Parliament (MPs) when the matter is called at the High Court today.
Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton with some suspended members before the motion was passed
If not, the opposing side of the House is set to boycott an upcoming sitting of the National Assembly where it is expected that government will seek support for a Supplementary Provision totaling some $44.7B.
Hours before the planned tabling of the motion in the National Assembly to suspend the eight MPs two weeks ago, the opposition- A Partnership for National Unity +Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) moved to the court to challenge the Committee of Privileges recommendation. The MPs are to be suspended over the unauthorised removal of the mace last December. The document stated that the High Court was asked to issue an order for all eight opposition parliamentarians to perform their duties as Members of the National Assembly until they have been afforded the right to be heard. The parliamentarians also want the High Court to block Speaker, Manzoor Nadir, and the Clerk of the National Assembly, Sherlock Isaacs from permitting, causing or allowing any consideration of the Report of the Parliamentary Select Committee of Privileges. MPs Sherod Duncan, Christopher Jones, Ganesh Mahipaul, Vinceroy Jordan, Annette Ferguson, Natasha Singh-Lewis, Maureen A. Philadelphia, and Tabitha Halley were nonetheless suspended when the Committee of Privileges report was passed in Parliament.
The opposition members are not taking the matter lying down as they are depending on the court decision to make their next move. Ganesh Mahipaul told the newspaper yesterday that the opposition is looking forward to the court upholding the members’ right to a “fair hearing”. The opposition has argued that following the events regarding the mace, the opposition was asked to show reason why they should not be suspended; but even after inquiring what rules and regulations were broken, no information was provided. The opposition is also arguing that the motion was brought by government MP and committee member Gail Teixeira who took the matter to the Speaker who then sent it to the committee. And despite Article 144 (8) of the Constitution speaking to the right to a fair hearing of an impartial tribunal or competent court, the opposition said what happened instead is that the same person who made the accusation, carried the motion, tried the accusers and laid the sentence.
The opposition is adamant however, that suspending the eight is part of an orchestrated move to “weaken the guardrails of democracy, transparency and accountability,” since less opposition MPS means less scrutiny in Parliament. With government move to the Parliament for mega supplementary provisions, there will be less opposition members to scrutinise the sums being requested.
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