THE People’s Progressive Party condemns the latest attack on Guyana’s parliamentary democracy by the joint opposition of AFC/APNU.

A statement last evening from the ruling party said Thursday, November 22, 2012, will go down as one of the darkest days in the history of our nation’s highest decision making body, since the restoration of democracy in 1992.
The statement continued, “Disregarding the Constitution of our country, and ignoring all parliamentary norms and practices, the AFC/APNU alliance not only sought to deny a basic right of freedom of speech to Minister of Home Affairs, Clement Rohee, an elected Member of Parliament, but also sought to take our people back to the dark days of our nation when our liberties were curtailed by a dictatorship.
“Ironically, the very same culprits are now today in the opposition benches and their motive is now clear.
“The PPP will not stand idly by and watch all our gains that we have made as a democratic nation over the past 20 years eroded by the one seat dictatorship of the AFC/APNU.
“The party fully supports Minister Rohee and reiterates that the opposition is desperately looking for distractions to hide its inability to discharge the responsibilities which comes with such office.
“Added to this is the mockery being made to our National Assembly by the Speaker himself who first ruled that based on legal advice, he had no powers to prevent Minister Rohee from speaking in the House only to go back on his ruling yesterday.
“To further compound his dilemma, Speaker Raphel Trotman is quoted in the media as saying that Home Affairs Minister, Clement Rohee has not been sent to the Committee of Privileges, but rather it is the issue on whether the House has the powers to sanction Rohee.
“Based on this revelation, it is most astonishing that the Speaker has issued a ruling preventing the minister from speaking and tabling bills.
“The People’s Progressive Party has also noted the various threats issued by the opposition if they do not get their way in the National Assembly.
“The PPP stands ready to defend our nation against such efforts,” the PPP statement concluded.