…to be debated after 2019 National Budget presentation

”We will debate this motion, we will have this motion discussed and we will defeat it”

Those were the words of Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo who said on Friday during a live broadcast on social media platform Facebook, that the government  places much emphasis on its mandate and as such the presentation of the 2019 National Budget as well as the Consideration of the Budget Estimates will be undertaken before the Opposition’s  no confidence motion can be debated in the National Assembly.

The budget will be presented on Monday November 26, 2018 by Minister of Finance , Winston Jordan and according to the Prime Minister, based on his calculations, the motion may be up for debate mid-December or after. “We are not running away from a no-confidence motion,” he said.

Nagamootoo said on Friday he received a copy of a letter addressed to the Opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) by the Clerk of the National Assembly which stated that the motion would not be considered until after the budget debates as well as after the consideration of the estimates.

Regarding its motive, he posited that the Opposition may be under the impression that the recent Local Government Elections (LGE) have passed “some judgment “on the government, noting that the PPP may views the results of the polls as a referendum on the APNU+AFC administration. But he explained that in order to move a motion against a majority government, one has to be confident that the motion can succeed.

He said knowing that it has minority seats in the National Assembly, the PPP’s motion, which was filed last week by Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo, cannot succeed. “It is a no go, it is a no no,” he added.

The Prime Minister said that the Opposition wants to psychologically “harass” the population and to “frustrate” the work of the National Assembly.

He explained that in order for a no confidence motion to pass, it must have the majority of 33 elected members of the National Assembly. “The Opposition does not have that, it is the government that has 33 members who are elected and sitting in the National Assembly”, he added.

He said the PPP wants to motion to go for debate with hopes that one member of the government may abstain from the vote. He explained too that even if the vote is tied, the mover looses the motion.

“We are not afraid of debates, we are old debaters,” he said. As regards comments from the Opposition that the government does not wish for the motion to be heard, he recalled that in 2014 he tabled a no confidence motion in August that year while in Opposition and the PPP government refused to have the motion debated.

He said the parliament was supposed to resume on October 10, 2014 but no parliament was held and later, Former President Donald Ramotar prorogued the National Assembly. He said at the time there was widespread “thiefing and violation of the Constitution of Guyana “and it was on those grounds he moved the motion.

“Our government has been stable government, we have been able to restore peace and public order to Guyana , we have been able to build incrementally a new face of Guyana , now we are on the cusp of an new oil and gas economy,” he said , adding that everyone is commenting that the country will grow.

He believes the Opposition is trying sow a picture of doom and gloom of the country and he described the move as that of the  “Grinch”, trying to take away happiness from the festive season.

According to the Prime Minister, the motion was borne out of desperation and Opposition frustration and “opportunism “to look forward to the new wealth of Guyana.

The Prime Minister reiterated government’s confidence that the motion will be defeated.