– was how Rohee deems APNU MPs’ action in the House
GENERAL-Secretary of the ruling PPP/C party, Mr Clement Rohee, has bemoaned the actions of the combined Opposition last Friday in the National Assembly, when an agreement reached on Wednesday was breached and the proceedings of the House were disrupted.Yesterday, he had this to say: “The people of Guyana have once again seen, live and direct from the National Assembly, last Friday evening’s trademark display of hooliganism by the PNC (People’s National Congress)- led APNU (A Partnership for National Unity).

“This was a vivid reminder of the PNC obnoxious ways of the past, when it ruled by fear, authoritarianism and naked bullyism against its political opponents.”
The Opposition provoked chaos in the National Assembly last Friday when its MPs defied the ruling of the Speaker of the National Assembly, Mr Raphael Trotman, who decided to allow Education Minister Priya Manickchand to speak in the House, reversing a ban he had earlier imposed on her occasioned by the minister ‘heckling’ an Opposition MP last Tuesday, which was protested.

However, on Wednesday, following an agreement brokered by the Speaker with the Government and the Opposition, Manickchand repeated in the House words which were accepted by the Opposition as a prerequisite for them not to protest her being able to contribute to the 2014 Budget debates.

But on the following day, APNU Member of Parliament (MP) Jaipaul Sharma resigned from the National Assembly, citing Manickchand’s comment and also stating that he considered himself “incompetent” as an aggressive debater.

Rohee has made it clear that, by breaching last Wednesday’s agreement, the Opposition effectively prevented the minister from exercising her democratic right to speak and represent the 200,000 children who are in our schools today.

He said, “This is another occasion when the Opposition has reneged on an agreement. It is becoming more and more evident that the Opposition cannot be trusted. The action of the PNC-led APNU is just part of the PNC bullying behaviour to silence people without rhyme or reason, and part of their disrespect for law, order and principles.

BEHAVIOUR OF THE PAST
According to the PPP General-Secretary, last Friday’s actions are a reminder of the PNC’s actions of the past.
He said, “These recent gagging actions by the PNC remind us in the PPP of their behaviour in the past, when they stole the democratic voices of the people by repeatedly rigging elections and employing other means against individuals they did not like.

“It was under the PNC regime that Walter Rodney was killed and Father Darke was stabbed to death. Walter Rodney stood up to the PNC dictatorship, and Father Darke wrote against the regime.

“The PPP also sees the behaviour last Friday of the PNC-led APNU as the showing of their true colours in being unprincipled and (untrustworthy). After agreement was reached by the parties concerned on Wednesday, and the PPP Minister doing her part, the PNC-led APNU reneged on the agreement.”

Rohee made it clear that Friday’s incident was only the most recent example of the constant breaches of agreements between the Government and the Opposition.

He underscored a more serious problem in Friday’s protest — disregard of the ruling made by Speaker of the National Assembly, Mr Raphael Trotman.

On that note, Rohee called on Trotman to stand by his decision and to embrace principled positions. He said, “The Speaker must exercise control over the proceedings of the National Assembly, in order to protect the Minister of Education from further abuse of the Opposition and denial of her right.”

Friday’s protest, Rohee highlighted, is the current Administration’s constant challenge — the “tyranny of the one seat majority” in the House.
By Vanessa Narine