THE latest sitting of the National Assembly, on May 7, has confirmed that “sanity” was lacking amongst the Joint Opposition, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance For Change (AFC).

The Government is, therefore, warning that there will be repercussions and its view is that the combined Opposition, with its one- seat majority in Parliament, is more interested in opposing and frustrating the implementation of Government programmes.
Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger Luncheon said, at his usual press conference yesterday, that the 10th Parliament saw the Opposition “trampling” on parliamentary customs, practices and norms.
Speaking at Office of the President, in Shiv Chanderpaul Drive, Georgetown, he observed that the Opposition’s disregard for constitutional provisions was capriciously encouraged by the rulings of House Speaker Raphael Trotman.
He continued, “Isolated events did, however, offer some basis for extending the benefit of the doubt to the Opposition about their intentions, about their motives regarding their strategy in Parliament.
“Some earnestly hoped that sanity would prevail. The latest sitting on the 7th confirmed that sanity was not prevailing. The decision of the Joint Opposition to dictate the time and seasons for Government sessions for its presentation of Government business to the House is a clear example of the loss of sanity and is most astonishing in the practices of parliamentary democracies.”
Luncheon said Cabinet is concerned that this is more evidence of the recklessness of the one-seat majority Opposition.
“Inconsequential and trifling accommodations are often afforded to the executive government extracted from the opposition with extreme effort by the ruling MPs.
“Just what do APNU and AFC expect from this course of action?” he asked, before adding: “Immediately it is to have APNU and AFC dictates prevail in the House. It is to have civilised norms, parliamentary practices held hostage by this one-seat majority.”