-Minister Teixeira says in response to ‘concerning, regrettable’ public commentary

MINISTER of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira, has clarified that the government has already planned a sitting of the National Assembly for June 5, while expressing concern over recent public comments made by members of the diplomatic community regarding sittings of Parliament.

Minister Teixeira made this known during a video address, during which she stated that it was “regrettable” that some ambassadors, embassies and high commissions commented publicly without first engaging the government on the matter.

According to the minister, had such an engagement occurred, officials would have been informed that a parliamentary sitting had already been scheduled.

“I’ve noticed the comments in the media from various ambassadors in the diplomatic corps of Guyana regarding sittings of parliament,” Minister Teixeira said.

She added, “Had they done that, they would have been told that there was a sitting planned for June the 5th.”

She went on to note that the government, as the ruling party in the National Assembly, remains responsible for advancing the legislative agenda and ensuring the functioning of Parliament in keeping with the country’s democratic processes.

Against this backdrop, she underscored the importance of balanced engagement and mutual respect in diplomatic relations, particularly on matters concerning Guyana’s internal parliamentary affairs.

“It seems to be like a new style of diplomacy where our friends and allies in these embassies believe they should only listen to one side of the story and not listen to the other side, and the other side, in this case, is the government,” she said.

With this, she emphasised that the government values its relationships with members of the diplomatic corps and hopes future engagement on parliamentary matters will be “much more profound and respectful.”