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Ahead of Monday’s sitting of the National Assembly, Leader of the Opposition, Joseph Harmon accused the Speaker, Manzoor Nadir of colluding with the Government to hijack the Parliament.
In a recorded statement, the Opposition Leader explained that though Monday, December 13, 2021 is designated Private Members’ Day, critical motions tabled by the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Members of Parliament were excluding from the day’s agenda.
“What the PPP has done is ensure that our main business be placed on the shelf. Today we should have been debating the; No- confidence motions against the Ministers of Health & Home Affairs, a motion on the Gas to Shore project, A motion on Natural Gas Flaring at the Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited, A motion on the murders of the Henry boys (however you’d remember that just after we filed the motion, a few men were arrested and we were refused a debate because the matter was said to be before the court) then we had another motion in relation to the prisoner that was killed in the lusignan prison.
Instead of these substantive issues being addressed the Speaker and the PPP have reduced the Private Members Sitting to the Members of Parliament receiving written responses to questions that were asked of the Ministers by Members of the Opposition,” the Opposition Leader explained.
Harmon said the PPP/C Government has sunk to another low by hijacking the rest of the sitting to deal with their business after 64 days without Parliament.
“This is what you get when you have wicked and oppressive tyrants in power,” Harmon said.
However, he made it clear that the Opposition will not be silenced or subtly bullied. Harmon said the “hijacking” of Parliament comes just days after President Irfaan Ali addressed world leaders on democracy. According to him, the Government’s actions clearly contradict what democracy is.
“They can attempt to hijack the Parliament; they can run from addressing private members business all they want but they will never silence this opposition. Our matters will be addressed in this parliament and they will answer publicly for their poor governance, poor handling of the economy, and the sad state of affairs they’ve foisted upon the Guyanese people,” Harmon said.
