Latest update March 27th, 2026 12:40 AM
‘End the petty politics’ – Walton-Desir calls for swift election of Opposition Leader, activation of parliamentary committees
…says political standoff putting citizens at risk
(Kaieteur News) – Opposition MP and leader of Forward Movement Guyana (FMG), Amanza Walton-Desir, is demanding the immediate reconvening of Parliament and the activation of key oversight committees, as the political deadlock over the swearing-in of new Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed drags on.
In a forceful social media statement on Sunday, Walton-Desir warned that the paralysis in the National Assembly is eroding the country’s credibility and putting citizens at risk. She also called for the Speaker Manzoor Nadir to call the meeting for the election of Mohamed, leader of We Invest in Nationhood (WIN). “I’m asking a serious question, how are we to be taken seriously when we have a parliament that will deliberately not meet to appoint a leader of the opposition? How are we to be taken seriously when we are on the verge of such a shift geopolitically, and we do not have a foreign relations sectoral committee meeting so that we can go and in a bipartisan manner, continue to help the people of Guyana to remain calm, because panic is not going to serve anybody,” she stated.
Leader of Forward Movement Guyana (FGM) and Opposition Member of Parliament (MP) Amanza Walton-Desir.
The Opposition parliamentarian stressed that the refusal to convene committees jeopardises public safety. Walton-Desir said, “Do we understand why people take us for granted? Because we take ourselves for granted, and we take our safety for granted, and we take the affairs of this nation for granted. What is more sad for me is that there are Guyanese who chair that posture on, ‘oh yes, don’t convene no committee for them’ not understanding that they’re endangering and jeopardising themselves.”
Further, she called for unity across political lines. She noted that leaders and citizens alike must demand that Parliament resume its work, including the swearing-in of the new Opposition Leader.
Speaker of the National Assembly, Manzoor Nadir.
“Even if you don’t like Azruddin Mohamed, he is to be sworn in as the leader of the opposition simply because our Constitution demands it…and so when we begin to embrace that mindset as the people of Guyana, we are going to see our lives radically shift. We are going to see this government understanding a bunch of people who understand that they have the power,” she said.
The 13th Parliament of Guyana was convened early November, with the government and opposition MPs taking their oaths. However, since then there has been no word on when the Speaker will chair the meeting for the swearing-in of the Opposition Leader.
In relation to the swearing-in of the Opposition Leader, President Irfaan Ali last Thursday said that Speaker, is currently out of the country, and as a result, the meeting to elect a Leader of the Opposition cannot be held until he returns. His comment comes amid threats of legal action from the WIN, over the Speaker’s failure to convene the meeting with opposition MPs to elect the leader of the opposition.
Clerk of the National Assembly Sherlock Isaacs explained that while the constitution outlines the process for electing the opposition leader, it does not specify when the meeting must be held. “The constitution doesn’t say when the meeting is to be held, if it’s at the first sitting or the second sitting or third sitting; it’s at the discretion of the speaker,” Isaacs had explained.
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