McKay leads arguments to throw out AG motion
LAWYERS on the other side yesterday submitted legal and factual arguments for the motion, by Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, to declare unconstitutional, the Select Committee of Parliament named by the Opposition majority. Led by Senior Counsel, Rex Mc Kay, the team, including Mr. Khemraj Ramjattan and Mr. Roysdale Forde, argued that there is no case for them to answer and that the motion should be thrown out.
Nandlall was not present yesterday but his Deputy Solicitor General, Mr. R. Harnanan, representing him, said the AG would wish to reply to the submissions.
The AG is asking for orders against Speaker of the House, Raphael Trotman and Leader of the Opposition, David Granger.
Nandlall is claiming that all Standing Committees and Special Select Committees of the National Assembly of the 10th Parliament of Guyana are to be constituted in proportion to the number of seats which each political party was allocated in the House, based on the results of the November 28, 2011 elections and not how they were comprised after February 10, 2012.
The AG is maintaining that the composition, of People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) four, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) four and Alliance for Change one, is a violation of the principle of proportionality as  contemplated by Articles 60 and 160 of the Constitution.
But Mc Kay and others are contending that, among other things, the court has no jurisdiction to inquire into the regularity or validity of the internal procedures of Parliament.
Mere irregularity of the procedure in Parliament cannot be a ground for challenging the proceedings within, Mc Kay argued.
Nandlall is to reply when the hearing resumes on a date to be fixed.