The Order Paper for the 10th October sitting of the National Assembly sent out on the 3rd October to members clearly indicated that the PCA 2023 Report is to be circulated to members on the 20th October. The Assembly staff duly placed copies of the Report on the desks of all members. The Opposition boycotted that Sitting.
Earlier this week, Opposition members including Shadow for Home Affairs, Khemraj Ramjattan, sought to uplift their copies from the Parliamentary staff only to be told that the Report has been pulled by Government Chief Whip, Gail Texeira. Questioned as to the reason why, Mr. Ramjattan was informed by staff that the Report needed to be approved by Cabinet before being tabled and before it could be delivered to individual members. This, apart from being wholly untrue, is most unparliamentary. The PPP Minister’s action has resulted in Opposition members being unable, to this date, to access the Report. From Press sources, who collected their copies on the 10th October Sitting, the Report contains biting criticisms of the Guyana Police Force presently embroiled in a huge corruption crisis at its leadership level.
This is but yet another example of the government denying Opposition Members of Parliament their right to information and the manifest control- freakism at play by the PPP Government. In its true autocratic and despotic style, it wants criticism of its governance to pass through a central hub and to hide the blistering contents of such an important Report from Opposition members.
The Opposition APNU/AFC parliamentarians condemn the autocratic style of the government and demand the release of this Report from PPP’s captivity.