GUYANESE in the diaspora, particularly those in the United Kingdom, have expressed their disappointment at the opposition for not allowing passage of the Firearms (Amendment) Bill 2013 that was tabled in parliament last week by Minister of Home Affairs, Clement Rohee. In a series of newsfeeds on the popular social text network, Twitter and Facebook, a large number of Guyanese, with mostly UK social profiles, berated the APNU and AFC for putting “political game playing above Guyana’s national interest”.
Kenrick Roger’s, a Guyanese who seemed to have had the largest swath of followers on the subject matter via his Twitter newsfeed, claimed that he was a former disciplined services best friend and colleague of Opposition Leader, David Granger, while pressing the APNU leader to set aside the personal attacks on Minister Rohee, so that the business of parliament can move on.
Others were harsh in their criticisms, and labelled the opposition leader as a military dictator of Guyana’s parliament.
A few who had expressed their support for the retired Brigadier indicated their disagreement with his leadership for spearheading a vote against the bill, simply because it was piloted by Rohee.
The Joint Opposition which holds the narrow one-seat majority in Guyana’s Parliament, has repeatedly tried to prevent Minister Rohee from speaking in the country’s Parliament.
However, the Parliament’s chief administrator, Speaker Raphael Trotman, who is also an executive member of the opposition party, AFC, ruled that the government minister has a right to speak.
Guyana’s Chief Justice Ian Chang had also ruled that Minister Rohee cannot be barred from speaking in the National Assembly, since he was an elected Member of Parliament and was not guilty of any misconduct.