Speaker blocks petition, motion concerning Adriana Younge

Apr 29, 2025 News

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Kaieteur News- It was business as usual in the Parliament on Monday, as Speaker of the National Assembly, Manzoor Nadir, denied the Opposition’s motion concerning the death of 11-year-old Adriana Younge.

After initially disallowing a petition by Opposition Member Amanza Walton-Desir made on behalf on Human Rights bodies concerning the death of Younge, the Speaker later disallowed the motion by Opposition Member of Parliament (MP) Jermaine Figueira also in relation to Younge’s death.

Figueira presented his motion for the establishment of a national child emergency notification system named in her honour. The MP pointed to the need for a more robust system in relation to missing children. Shortly after the motion was presented by Figueira, members of the opposition staged a walked out of the National Assembly over the Speaker’s failure to state whether the motion would be approved.

Instead, he allowed Prime Minister, Mark Phillips to make a presentation in relation to Younge’s death. Ahead of presenting the motion, Figueira led the House into a moment of silence for Younge, and the two Lindeners, Ronaldo Peters and Keon Fudgenay who were shot and killed by police earlier this month in Linden. During his presentation, Figueira underscored how the tragic and brutal abduction and murder of the 11-year-old has shaken the collective conscience of the people of Guyana, transcending all ethnic, religious, and social divides.

As a result, he noted that there is a national outcry for urgent reforms to enhance child protection and strengthen public safety mechanisms. The Opposition MP called for a system that resembled those of other jurisdictions, including the United States, Canada, and the European Union, that have demonstrated the effectiveness of child emergency alert systems such as the amber alert in facilitating the rapid recovery of missing children and saving lives.

The system, he said would be named the “Adrianna Alert System” in honor of Adrianna Young, to symbolise Guyana’s commitment to the protection of every child within its borders. The opposition MP stressed that as the fastest growing economy in the world, Guyana must proactively implement security assures to protect its most vulnerable citizens, especially its children, amid increasing exposure to criminal elements;

The establishment of a national child alert system would not only improve law enforcement’s ability to respond promptly to child abductions but would also empower the general public to actively participate in safeguarding our children. “The implementation of the National child alert system would stand as a lasting and meaningful tribute to the memory of Adrianna Young, ensuring her life and untimely passing serve as catalysts for lasting national protection reforms.” “The swift dissemination of critical information to the public through mobile devices, media outlets, and public networks has proven to dramatically improve child recovery rates and deter criminal activities against minors,” Figueira stated.

He called on the Government of Guyana to immediately begin consultations with stakeholders, including the Guyana Police Force, telecommunications providers, civil society organizations, and child rights advocates, to design and implement a national child emergency notification system.

Phillips in his presentation stated that the Government is committed to ensuring that the entire nation knows the truth behind the death of little Adriana, and they are doing their best to ensure that the family gets closure. “While together we mourn as a country, we have already taken action as a government to facilitate the independent inquiry,” the Prime Minister said.

Additionally, he said Government has taken a number of steps to improve and safeguard the lives of children including Guyana Police Force has moved to strengthen and implement a Standard Operating Procedure for handling reports of missing children and persons.

However, before the Prime Minister could finish his presentation, opposition MPs staged a walk out citing the Speaker mishandling of the motion. Opposition Chief Whip, Christopher Jones noted that the speaker’s actions are not in keeping with the Standing Orders. He explained that a motion has to be accepted or denied before any other comments can be made.

“When I saw and witnessed Adrianna’s father, a man who without a doubt loved his daughter, jumped into that pool and embraced the lifeless body of his baby girl and cried out a cry, of only who feels it knows, it got to me, and I want to believe, it equally resonated with you too as with other Guyanese home and abroad,” said Figueira.

Nadir insisted that this approach has been taken before but did not state any details of such an occurrence. The Speaker later noted he was satisfied with Government’s response, and as a result, the motion would not be placed up for debate. “After I have read the standard operating procedures that were first released by the Guyana Police Force on Saturday, even before I received his notice…I want to highly commend the Government for swift action in establishing these new Standard Operating Procedures,” the Speaker said before blocking the motion.”

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