THE SPEAKER’S ROBE IS NOT A POLITICAL PONCHO: NADIR MUST STAY IN HIS LANE

 Dear Editor,

The recent pronouncements by Speaker of the National Assembly, Manzoor Nadir, regarding the upcoming election of the Leader of the Opposition (LOO) on January 26, are a flagrant violation of the neutrality required by his high office. By publicly labeling a potential candidate an “international fugitive” and questioning the “moral right” of the opposition’s choice, Mr. Nadir has shed the cloak of an impartial arbiter and donned the jersey of a partisan hack.

The Speaker’s mandate is clear and limited: to preside over the House and facilitate its processes. Article 184 of the Constitution and the Standing Orders do not grant the Speaker the authority to vet the character, moral standing, or legal history of the person the opposition chooses to lead them. That choice belongs solely to the non-governmental Members of Parliament.  

When Mr. Nadir lectures the opposition on “dignity” and “reputation,” he ignores the fact that the greatest threat to the dignity of the House is a Speaker who attempts to influence the outcome of an internal democratic process. His “moral” grandstanding is nothing more than a thinly veiled attempt to weaponize his position to disqualify or demonize a political opponent before a single vote is cast.

We must ask:

• Where in the Standing Orders is the Speaker given the power to act as a moral gatekeeper for the opposition?
• By what authority does he use the Speaker’s platform to echo the talking points of the executive branch?
• How can the minority parties expect fairness in the 13th Parliament when the man holding the gavel is already poisoning the well?

The Speaker is the servant of the House, not its master—and certainly not the judge and jury of its members. If Mr. Nadir wishes to engage in political mudslinging, he should resign his post, vacate the Chair, and return to the floor as a partisan representative.

The Guyanese electorate did not vote for a “Moralizer-in-Chief”; they voted for a functional Parliament. By stepping outside his mandate, Mr. Nadir is not protecting the “sanctity” of the House; he is desecrating it. He must desist from these partisan pronouncements immediately and fulfill his actual job: facilitating the business of the people without prejudice.

Sincerely,

Hemdutt Kumar