Teixeira calls on Ramjattan to retract comment or face Privileges Committee
–PPP/C Parliamentarians shocked, disturbed at false assertions

PRESIDENTIAL Adviser on Governance and Government and Chief Whip in the National Assembly, Ms. Gail Teixeira on Friday wrote the Speaker of the House, Mr. Raphael Trotman, to register the ruling party’s serious concern over statements made by the Leader of the Alliance For Change (AFC), Mr. Khemraj Ramjattan.Ramjattan at a press conference last Thursday, stated that his party had been “reliably informed” that the PPP/C Government, against whom the No-Confidence Motion has been filed, has plans to “buy out” at least three parliamentarians at $30M each to vote against the motion when it comes up for debate next month.

“It appears that in Mr. Ramjattan’s blind haste to besmirch the Government and the PPP, he broadsided the entire Legislature and all Members of Parliament.” — Ms. Gail Teixeira

Ms. Teixeira has since called on the AFC Leader to produce evidence to support his allegations.
She said: “These pronouncements by Mr. Ramjattan should not be treated solely in the realm of “political turf wars” of political parties, which the Government and the PPP are capable of handling, but more importantly, these accusations bring all Members of Parliament in Guyana into disrepute, and, in doing so, damages the image and integrity of the entire Guyanese Legislature, including you, as the Speaker.”
To this end, the Presidential Adviser called on the Speaker of the House to call on the AFC Leader to publicly retract his statement or provide proof of his claims.

“I am therefore calling on you, sir, as Speaker, to call on MP (Member of Parliament), Mr. Ramjattan, to publicly retract his statement or provide proof of which Members of Parliament were offered bribes and by whom.”

MOVE TO PRIVILEGE COMMITTEE
According to Ms. Teixeira, failure by Mr. Ramjattan to retract his comments will result in a move by the Government MPs to call for his referral to the Parliamentary Privileges Committee for besmirching and denigrating the image and integrity of all MPs and the entire National Assembly.
She said: “The Government and the PPP/C Members of Parliament are shocked and very disturbed by public pronouncements at an AFC press…Mr. Ramjattan was quoted as saying that “We have gotten reliable information that the PPP’s answer to the no-confidence motion is not what is said, but at least by buying off three parliamentarians at $30M each to vote no rather than yes, and that’s the only way …and that’s the only option they have’. He even went on further to say “… but, we can never know, probably the price can jump higher.”
“The Government and the PPP immediately and separately publicly disassociated themselves from these slanderous pronouncements by M.P. Mr. Ramjattan and called on the AFC to provide the evidence of this allegation.”
She pointed out that these comments have portrayed to the world, “in this world of rapid communications,” that Guyanese MPs are “corrupt and buyable” – an image that once created in Guyana and globally can never be erased.
“It appears that in Mr. Ramjattan’s blind haste to besmirch the Government and the PPP he broadsided the entire Legislature and all Members of Parliament. This, l have no doubt, must have disturbed you as the Speaker of the National Assembly,” Ms. Teixeira said.
Attempts by the Guyana Chronicle to contact the Speaker for a response to Ms. Teixeira’s letter proved futile.

(By Vanessa Narine)