ATTORNEY General (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs, Mr. Anil Nandlall, last Thursday re-,tabled in the National Assembly two Government Bills surrounding security reform, which were previously defeated by the Opposition, and introduced a new one.
And Home Affairs Minister, Mr. Clement Rohee contended that, while he may be required to speak on the pieces of legislation, they were presented in the AG’s name, so the joint Opposition should not have a problem with his contribution to them.
“The Bills are not in my name and the Opposition has said that they will not support any Bills in my name,” he recalled.
His comments follow the no-confidence motion in him previously introduced and passed in the House by the Opposition majority.
At a press conference in the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Freedom House, Robb Street, Georgetown headquarters, yesterday, Rohee explained that the AG will “initiate” the introduction of bills and give an explanation on what they are about.
“If needs be, I will support it…it is quite possible that I may speak on the bills,” the minister said.
According to him, given that the contention of the Opposition does not reflect opposing him speaking on bills not in his name, the question at hand is whether or not they will support the Bills to be tabled in the AG’s name.
Following the Opposition’s no-confidence motion, Speaker Raphael Trotman had ruled that Rohee will be allowed to participate fully in the business of the National Assembly and be unhindered in the exercise of his rights, both as an elected Member of Parliament and as the individual designated by the President to be the Home Affairs Minister.
UNTENABLE SITUATION
“It is my considered opinion that refusing the right to a minister to address the House is tantamount to refusing the President the right to speak in the House, a very unconstitutional and untenable situation,” Trotman said.
However, in his ruling then, he acknowledged that the National Assembly could refuse to listen if Minister Rohee chose to speak, but he was constitutionally given the right to address the National Assembly in his capacity as minister.
The AG pointed out, subsequently, that nothing in Guyana’s Constitution permits its Parliament to remove an appointed Cabinet Minister
The Bills up for review at the next sitting on Thursday (December19) include the Evidence (Amendment) Bill 2013 and the Firearm (Amendment) Bill 2013.
The Summary Jurisdiction (Procedure) (Amendment) Bill 2013 was introduced for the first time last Thursday.
Government, in recognition of the fundamental importance of the pieces of legislation to the lives and livelihoods of the people of Guyana, committed to returning them to the National Assembly for consideration.
(By Vanessa Narine)
