THE Opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has accused the A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) coalition government of not only attempting to muzzle them in the National Assembly during the 2015 budget debate, but of also having an agenda against Opposition Leader and former President Bharrat Jagdeo. Tension ran high in the House yesterday as Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo moved a Motion to have the days dedicated to the questions on the estimates of this year’s budget to be reduced to three days.
“We are opposed to the three days that the estimates are being cut from what is the maximum of seven days, to three days. This is unacceptable to this side of the House, and we will oppose this on that ground,” Opposition MP and Chief Whip, Gail Teixeira told the House yesterday.
The Prime Minister, responding to the concerns raised by Teixeira, maintained the ability of the House majority to set a period for the debates.
The objection of the PPP is that the Motion attempted by the Prime Minister is one to be considered by the Business Sub-Committee of the National Assembly. That committee could only be set up if a Committee on Selection has been set up in the National Assembly to consider persons for that Sub-Committee.
Yesterday, in the National Assembly, both Government and Opposition MPs made their nominations for members to that committee. The committee comprises five members from the Government side, four members from the Opposition, and the Speaker of the National Assembly as the Chairman.
Things again heated up later in the session as the PPP MPs left the Chambers just as Social Protection Minister Volda Lawrence was about to present in favour of the 2015 budget.
The opposition leader then led a meeting in the lounge reserved for MPs, after which PPP MP Dr Vindya Persaud made a lone re-appearance into the Chamber. Persaud was followed by her colleague in the Opposition Dharamkumar Seeraj, and later by all the members.
Persaud spoke soon after, and she challenged the decision of the Government, which had passed the motion limiting the remaining budget debate days to three.
“How can you do this?” she said, “when the very same members, most of you, were in the last Parliament and you requested of the PPP/C Government not only five days, not only six days, but 12 days!”

By Derwayne Wills