PARLIAMENT is not robust under the APNU/AFC Administration and the lack of notified agendas for the Opposition on topics pertaining to the sitting of the National Assembly is worrying, according to Opposition Chief Whip Gail Teixeira.She was speaking yesterday during a press conference at Freedom House and observed that the Standing Orders state that a six-day notice does not include public holidays and Opposition parliamentarian have not been receiving requisite notices pertaining to the National Assembly’s work.
“There is no Order Paper telling us the contents of the agenda for the next sitting,” the Opposition Chief Whip decried.
“The PPP MPs are at a disadvantage without appropriate notice since we need to see the documents to be studied, this is a serious breach.”
She said many bills that are of concern to stakeholders are not being addressed and no form of consultation is being done.
“For the past two months there has been nothing submitted or done in Parliament, then there is this rush to put in things and hurry them through….The government seems to be adopting a posture that it has a divine right to do as it pleases,” said Teixeira.
She said citizens are now better educated and are now interested in the functioning of the National Assembly.
Noting that the PPP has motions on the Order Paper that are pending, Teixeira said this relates to all MPs making their income tax declaration and the second is compensation for victims of the May 11 National Elections violence.
“We also have some concerns that geographical MPs on the PPP side receive according to the law an allowance of $15,000. We have pointed this out and we were told we might get it in January – this is a concern because it’s according to the law.”

By Rabindra Rooplall