– despite APNU, AFC walk-out
THE combined Opposition, yesterday, walked out when Education Minister Priya Manickchand rose in the National Assembly to give her presentation during the ongoing Budget 2014 debates.

And A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Member of Parliament (MP), Joseph Harmon, denied that an agreement was reached between Opposition and Government last Wednesday that Manickchand should repeat agreed words in the House – words that would be accepted by the Opposition as a prerequisite to their non-protest of her being able to contribute to the 2014 Budget debates.
Last Tuesday a ‘heckle’ by the Education Minister was protested and she was barred by the Speaker of the House Raphael Trotman from speaking during the ongoing debates. However, on Wednesday, following an agreement brokered by the Speaker with the Government and the Opposition, Manickchand repeated the agreed words in the House.
On the following day, the Opposition Member of Parliament (MP), Jaipaul Sharma, resigned from his post in the House stating that his resignation was prompted by Manickchand’s comment and the fact the he considered himself “incompetent” as an aggressive debater.

Last Friday the Opposition inspired chaos in the House by loudly banging on their desks and chanting ‘Apology to Sharma’, effectively drowning out the Education Minister. The protest caused the Speaker to adjourn the sitting to yesterday.
However, yesterday, Harmon told the Assembly that no agreement was reached, contrary to the many reports and debates over the weekend.
“We did not have any set of words agreed,” he stressed.
The APNU front-bencher added that there was a lot of discussion in the meeting that the Speaker invited APNU and Government members to, but there was no direct agreement on any set of words.

“It did not happen in this way,” he argued.
AMNESIA
Government Chief Whip, Gail Teixeira, refuted this claim by Harmon and told the House that the Opposition MP was suffering from “amnesia”.
She reminded Harmon and told the House that the words repeated by Manickchand last Wednesday were recited at the meeting and the Speaker asked him three times ‘Do you find these words acceptable’ and all three times Harmon said ‘yes’.
Teixeira said the APNU MP was clearly suffering from a bout of amnesia.
She expressed sympathy if he was under pressure from his party, given the political fallout of Sharma’s resignation.
In addition to resigning, the Justice For All Party, which Sharma represents, has reportedly since pulled out of the APNU coalition. Sharma has since been replaced in the National Assembly by former People’s National Congress (PNC) MP, Ernest Elliot.
The Speaker of the National Assembly, Raphael Trotman, noted that he was under the impression that Wednesday’s meeting has resulted in an agreeable solution.
He added that it was on this basis, this “agreement”, that he made the decision to lift the ban on Manickchand’s ability to speak.
Trotman appealed to all MPs to retain in focus the best interest of the Guyanese people and the country.
The Speaker also appealed for “intellect, a sense of responsibility and patriotism to prevail”.
HONOUR AGREEMENTS
Prime Minister and leader of Government’s business in the House, Samuel Hinds, bemoaned the implications on the trust bond between parties in the House, following Friday’s incident.
He made it clear that agreements reached should be honoured on both sides.
“The matter was finished, it was closed,” PM Hinds said, referring to Wednesday’s agreement for Manickchand to repeat words that were considered acceptable to address Tuesday’s heckle.
Hinds, last Friday, pointed out that the Opposition’s protest indicates clearly to the Government and to the Guyanese people that the Opposition’s word is not their bond.
He stated that he was both shocked and stunned at the night’s events.
Mr Hinds said, “This is another occurrence of the Opposition backing out of agreements….it is astonishing they would do what they have done….we have to take it that the Opposition’s word is not their bond.”
The Prime Minister made it clear that agreements between Members of Parliament must be honoured and said he was disappointed in the position taken by the APNU.
Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh, added that the education sector is a key sector that has a direct impact on the lives of thousands of Guyanese and the importance of the sector as well as the responsibility of Minister Manickchand ought to have been taken into consideration.
“This sends us a clear message,” he said, explaining that the Opposition cannot be trusted; the Opposition has no respect for the rule of law; and is indicative of their disposition for “lawlessness” in the National Assembly.
Singh stated that 26 MPs cannot deny the will of thousands who elected the current Administration and who are, by democratic right, represented by the Education Minister.
“This is total disrespect for the principles of democracy,” he charged.
By Vanessa Narine