‘Opposition becoming more irrelevant’
Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira (Delano Williams photo)
Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira (Delano Williams photo)

–Minister Teixeira says, calls out Norton for abdicating responsibility by walking out of National Assembly

MINISTER of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance and the government’s Parliamentary Chief Whip, Gail Texeira, on Monday, questioned the relevance of the main Opposition as she accused Leader of the Opposition, Aubrey Norton, of abdicating his duty, when he and the rest of his party members, walked out of the National Assembly.

Led by Norton, the APNU+AFC Members of Parliament (MPs), departed en masse after the House Speaker, Manzoor Nadir, did not allow a motion brought by Norton, to discuss a “clean voters’ list.”

The coalition’s departure came moments before a number of important bills were set to be debated, including the constitution reform commission, suicide prevention, and criminal justice reform bills.

“The opposition is becoming more and more irrelevant. The behaviour of the opposition by walking out of parliament when these major issues are before the house is indicative that they really more and more are becoming irrelevant, in that they are not prepared to stand up in the House, and to be able to defend their positions,” Teixeira lamented during a press conference held on Monday afternoon at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre.

She accused Norton of attempting to get the Speaker to be complicit in violating the Constitution, by bringing up the motion about the voters’ list when the only means by which this could be dealt with is through constitutional reform.

After listening to Norton, Nadir explained that the motion was not of urgency, so he would not allow it.

As Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, S.C. then got up to present the second reading of the Constitutional Reform Commission Bill, the Opposition promptly vacated their seats and exited the House, leaving Deputy Speaker, Lennox Shuman as the only remaining member on the Opposition benches.

Teixeira said that Norton and the other members abdicated their responsibility to participate in law making for the betterment and development of the society.

“Mr. Norton can bellow as much as he likes from the far corners. But he is abdicating his responsibilities as Leader of the Opposition when we have bills here. We have bills on drinking and driving, and using drugs and driving, important because the issue has no partisanship.

“Suicide has also been a social issue of great concern across the country. It crosses partisanship and, therefore, the absence of the opposition is noted again as abdicating their responsibility as members of parliament, and elected officials of their constituency,” Teixeira commented.

Meanwhile, Public Works Minister Bishop Juan Edghill lambasted the opposition for leaving the National Assembly and laying the blame on government’s refusal to discuss the high cost of living.

“You walked out because you are intellectually lazy and you are politically immature. You should have been standing in Parliament to say what else can be done to improve,” Minister Edghill said.

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