DESPITE the political imbroglio during the tenth Parliament, Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee continued with his ministry’s and, by extension, government’s agenda for Guyana’s continuing development, as there was never any cessation of work programmes in any sector.

Speaking on the National Communications Network’s (NCN) Programme, ‘Focus’, the minister  noted that both government and opposition supporters want to see progress continue in several areas, hence there was, “no paralysis of government”.
Commenting on the recent ruling by Parliamentary Speaker Raphael Trotman, which saw his right to address the National Assembly being confirmed after a delay, Minister Rohee said he was always optimistic that the situation would be resolved in his favour.
Referring to the move by the opposition, who sought to gag him in parliament after calls for his resignation after the Linden protests which had turned deadly, the minister likened the situation to a “Reichstag Trial”, described by some scholars as a “False Flag” operation initiated by the German Nazi Party to consolidate and seize power in the 1930s. He noted however, that despite the pressure that was mounted against him, he always had the comfort and support of the president, cabinet, friends and family and other supporters.
Minister Rohee said that the delay in the decision by the Speaker was costly in terms of time and money as it set back the parliament’s business, and, “at the same time, it displayed the cloven hooves of the opposition.”
He added that had the parliament not gone through the experience, “We probably would not have seen both positives and negatives, negative in the sense of how the opposition behaved while in the National Assembly, while this no-confidence motion was in place, and positive in the sense that it opened the eyes of a lot of Guyanese who had never before paid the kind of attention that they ought to pay to parliamentary procedures and debates”. The country has come out richer and more aware because of to this, the minister stated.
Regarding the passage of bills, such as the Fire Arms Amendment Bill, Vehicle and Road Traffic Amendment Bill and the Amendment to the Evidence Act, which he has tabled for passage, Minister Rohee said he expects them to pass unhindered as they were crafted with inputs from numerous stakeholders and law-enforcement agencies.
These bills will see better community participation, increased coordination via a task force comprising security personnel and stiffer penalties through legislation. He said it would be counter-productive to block or stop any bill that is designed to benefit the country, saying that the opposition cannot “blow hot and cold”.
Now is the time to focus on the issues and the merits of the legislation. “Forget whether it’s making me look good…it’s the country…will it make Guyana look good in the eyes of the international community? Will Guyana send the right signal, will the Parliament send the right signal to the international community?” he asked.
He also accused the Stabroek News and Kaieteur News of being opposition mouthpieces, given their disparaging reviews of his ministerial performance, and noted that he has nothing to prove to them since they have never given him, in particular, any support.
That fact that persons have voted and continued to voted for the PPP/C gives him the confidence to continue his job.
Many of those calling for his resignation, he added, have no idea what he has been through in his personal and political life. “I’ve been to prison, I’ve been beaten by police in the past, and many of these people who have suddenly become big defenders of democracy, they don’t know my history, so they call for my resignation and this doesn’t really bother me”. He said that he will continue to do his job without fear or favour.
The fact that many persons publicly supported the recent Mashramani street celebrations, in spite of the rain , is also an indication of the public’s overall confidence in him, according to Minister Rohee. “If people in this country didn’t feel safe and secure, they would not have come out in such large numbers on Mash Day,” he said. This is a manifestation that they feel safe and secure, and he noted that other events held over the holiday weekend also had crowds of people. The incident which resulted in the death of an East Coast resident was regrettable, but he said that there will always be a few deviants in any society.
The problem of crime is one which was addressed at the recently concluded CARICOM meeting in Haiti and will be tackled via the Strategic Plan for CARICOM countries. This comprises 14 objectives which will be further explained to the parliament in the near future.
“We now have both an external crime-fighting strategy for each of the 14 member states of CARICOM, plus we have in the Guyana context, our domestic strategic plans,” he said.
The four main areas that CARICOM heads want focus to be placed on are gangs, gun violence, drugs and firearms trafficking. Minister Rohee said that these issues are seriously affecting other CARICOM member states.
He reiterated his optimism that the opposition parliamentarians will deal with the issues and not get personal, adding that, “We hope all hands will be on deck”.