LEADER of the Opposition, Joseph Harmon, has lodged with the Clerk of the National Assembly two No-Confidence Motions against Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony and Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn. According to a statement from the opposition leader, the APNU+AFC Coalition, in filing the motions, ‘is acting on behalf of the hundreds of thousands of Guyanese who have lost confidence in the performance of the two ministers.’

Exactly on whose behalf Mr. Harmon is speaking remains at best, unclear. What is certain is that the opposition leader could not be speaking for the ‘hundreds of thousands of Guyanese’ who showed up at the polls on March 2, 2020 and voted his party out  power, a reality which the opposition seems unable to come to terms with. That is tantamount to a vote of no-confidence in the performance of the APNU+AFC administration, which had failed to deliver on its promises to the people of Guyana during its term in office.

Interestingly, the text of the motions is at best skeletal, and as observed by President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, it is nothing short of political drama. In criticising the motions, President Ali noted that the one-line document lacked effort and as a consequence has lost its meaningfulness. ‘It is just a political drama and it has no thinking or structure or work behind it, the President said.

Indeed, the filing of the motions gives the government an opportunity to once again tell the Guyanese public what the government inherited in these two sectors and what has happened since. It is not that such reassurance is necessary, as the vast majority of the Guyanese people have already formed an unfavourable opinion on the dismal performance of the APNU+AFC during its period in power.

Meanwhile, the Speaker of the House is still to decide if the motions properly qualify, based on the Standing Orders. Regardless of how the Speaker rules, it will set the stage for renewed focus on the several policy interventions made by the current PPP/C administration in the areas of crime prevention and health care delivery, especially in this COVID-19 environment.

And in a related development, there are indications that the PPP\C Government is considering the filing of a no-confidence motion of its own, calling for the immediate resignation of Harmon from the post of opposition leader. According to media reports, the motion is likely to be filed with the Clerk of the National Assembly on the ground of a loss of confidence in Harmon’s ability to serve in his role as an opposition leader in a credible and responsible manner. He is accused of ‘consistently and repeatedly misinforming the public and the National Assembly that the APNU+AFC coalition won the 2020 General and Regional Elections.’

This, according to the government, amounts to a case of an undermining of democracy in the country. It should be recalled that Harmon recently made false and damaging statements regarding the procurement and efficacy of the COVID-19 Sputnik V vaccines.

It is clear that the move by Harmon to move the two no-confidence motions is motivated by a desire to divert public attention from its own inadequacies as an opposition party and from the continuing fissures within its own leadership structure and, for that matter, its membership as a whole. As such, it can only be seen as an attempt to score cheap political points and to salvage its faltering image.

The government has already indicated that it stands ready to defend the performance of its two ministers and its stewardship since its re-election to office.