Latest update April 8th, 2025 7:13 AM
Opposition wants Parliament to approve Motions, questions within eight days
Kaieteur News – Opposition Member of Parliament (MP), Ganesh Mahipaul has submitted a Motion to the National Assembly, seeking to have issues raised by his colleagues processed and approved within eight days by the House.
According to the Standing Orders that govern the proceedings of the House, a question takes 21 clear days before going on the Order Paper once approved by the Speaker, whereas a Motion takes 12 clear days before going on the Order Paper once approved by the Speaker.
‘Clear days’ refer to days not counting the day when it is published on a Notice Paper and not counting the day when is the Sitting of the National Assembly. This means 23 days after the approval of the Speaker.
Opposition MP, Ganesh Mahipaul
Mahipaul in an invited comment said, “The records show that the Speaker (Manzoor Nadir) does not in our view treat questions and motions expeditiously when submitted to him hence this Motion will set a timeline for his pronouncement.”
In the Motion seen by this newspaper, the Opposition MP said he proposes that Standing Order Numbers 20 (2), (3) and 27 (2) be amended.
He said, “Be it resolved: That Standing Order No. 20(2) be removed and replaced with, “Questions and Motions submitted to the Clerk of the National Assembly must be submitted to the Speaker of the National Assembly within four (4) days of receipt, who shall then consider Questions and Motions.””
Mahipaul also submitted that changes be made to allow for any question without notice that may infringe the provisions of the Standing Order be allowed to print or rephrased and be advised if deemed inadmissible.
At a news conference yesterday, the MP explained, “What we found as the Parliamentarians is that you submit these questions and these Motions in a timely manner to deal with matters that are current but because of the length of time we take to have Parliament Sittings and because of the Standing Orders’ requirement in terms of days that it ought to be on the Notice Paper before going on the Order Paper, we find that it takes a long time to be approved.”
To this end, he said if this Motion is successful, the time taken by the Clerk of the National Assembly, Sherlock Isaacs to approve the questions will be limited to four days. The vetting by Isaacs is usually to ensure MPs adhere to the Standing Orders in their line of questions. The Clerk then forwards the document to the Speaker for final approval. This, according to the Opposition could stall the process for weeks; however, the amendment would cap the Speaker’s approval within four days as well.
“We are also asking for the Speaker’s time of having these questions and Motions on his desk be four days also after which he notifies the Members that are asking the questions or submitting the Motion what are the objections and how they can correct it to bring it in line with what ought to be approved so it can go on the notice paper faster and can satisfy the requirement in terms of days on the notice paper before it makes it to the order paper,” Mahipaul said.
It was reported that a Motion submitted by Opposition MP, David Patterson took 154 days before it was finally approved and debated in the National Assembly last year.
The Motion, seeking full liability coverage for oil spills, was first tabled in the House on February 16, 2022. It was later debated and thrown out by the governing side on July 21, 2022.
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