MINISTER of Home Affairs, Clement Rohee said that the A Partnership For National Unity is deliberately frustrating the process for the establishment of the parliamentary oversight committee on the security sector, which would ensure that security-related matters are institutionalised within the parliamentary framework.The oversight committee on the security sector would provide a mechanism for the resolution of security related issues. The Guyana Police Force and the security sector as a whole has, and continues to attract the attention of the Opposition and as such, the Minister described its reluctance to establish the committee as mindboggling.
“The Opposition’s reluctance to have this oversight body in place is because this committee must be headed by a Government Minister. This obviously is not to the liking of the opposition since its propensity is to dominate positions within the National Assembly,” Minister Rohee said.
The one-seat majority Opposition has, from the inception of the tenth Parliament, secured the positions of Speaker and Deputy Speaker, as well as a majority representation in all of the parliamentary committees.
The Disciplined Forces Commission report, of which the Opposition Leader was a part, had also called for the establishment of a security commission.
Minister Rohee stated that it is clear that the Opposition is deliberately delaying this process and reiterated his call for this body to be put in place as soon as possible.
He said , “They (the Opposition) are fully aware that should such a committee be established, they would not have a free rein to launch their continuous attacks on the PPP/C Government and the Ministry of Home Affairs on security matters.” (GINA)