Forward Guyana Movement (FGM) Leader and lone parliamentarian Amanza O.R. Walton has submitted a motion seeking amendments to the National Assembly’s Standing Orders to require more frequent parliamentary sittings and guarantee opportunities for Opposition members to raise issues through Private Members’ Business.
The motion comes amid mounting concerns over the frequency of parliamentary sittings, with the 13th Parliament recording fewer sittings than any previous Parliament over a comparable period.
In a statement issued that same day – November 11- Walton said the proposed changes are intended to prevent Parliament from remaining inactive for extended periods and strengthen the Assembly’s role in holding the Government accountable.
The motion was seconded by Opposition Chief Whip Tabitha Sarabo-Halley, a Member of Parliament representing We Invest in Nationhood (WIN), the largest parliamentary Opposition party.
WIN controls 16 of the 29 Opposition seats in the 65-seat National Assembly, while A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) holds 12 and Walton’s FGM holds one. The governing People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) occupies the remaining 36 seats.
Under the proposed amendments, Parliament would be required to meet at least once every 14 days while in session, subject to the Constitution and provisions governing parliamentary recess. The motion would also require the National Assembly to meet within 14 days after the annual recess concludes.
The proposal further seeks to preserve the existing entitlement for Private Members’ Business to take precedence at every fourth sitting, while ensuring at least one such sitting in each qualifying calendar month.
Walton argued that regular sittings are essential to ensure that elected representatives outside the Government have meaningful opportunities to question decisions, scrutinise public spending and raise matters affecting their constituents.
“Parliament belongs to the people of Guyana. It does not belong to the PPP. It does not exist at the convenience of the Government,” she said.
She criticised what she described as the Government’s practice of convening Parliament when approval for expenditure is required, while allowing extended periods to pass without sittings when elected representatives have questions and concerns to raise.
Only six sittings since November 2025
According to the Parliament of Guyana’s official website, the 13th Parliament, which was convened on November 3, 2025, had recorded six numbered sittings as of November 11, 2026. The November 3, 2025 sitting was the formal opening of Guyana’s 13th Parliament, following the September 1, 2025 General and Regional Elections. It was primarily an organisational and ceremonial sitting, rather than a session for debating legislation or government policy. November 3, 2025, was followed by January 26, February 2 and June 5, 2026. A fifth sitting is also listed, although its date is not displayed in the online record. The sixth sitting took place on November 11.
The records illustrate the concern raised by Walton about extended intervals between parliamentary sittings, although individual numbered sittings can extend over multiple days.
Walton said there have been periods when the National Assembly did not meet for more than 100 days, describing such gaps as unacceptable in a democratic system.
She also expressed concern that Guyanese representatives had to raise the issue with international bodies and members of the diplomatic community before the Government appeared to give serious consideration to calls for Parliament to function more consistently.
“The people of Guyana should not have to seek international attention to secure the functioning of their own Parliament,” Walton stated.
According to the FGM leader, the absence of regular sittings delays scrutiny of Government decisions and public expenditure, leaves questions unanswered and weakens the ability of parliamentarians to represent the people who elected them.
Cites 2005 parliamentary assessment
Walton said concerns about the frequency of parliamentary sittings are not new. She cited a 2005 needs assessment of the Guyana National Assembly by Commonwealth parliamentary adviser Sir Michael Davies, who observed that the Assembly had met only 19 times in 2004.
Davies described that record as “hardly an endorsement of its status” and argued that the timing of parliamentary sittings should not be left to the Government’s discretion.
More than two decades later, Walton said, the need for consistent parliamentary oversight has become even more pressing, particularly as Guyana’s petroleum industry has expanded and public revenues and expenditure have increased.
She argued that the National Assembly must not be reduced to an institution that meets primarily to approve withdrawals and spending from the Consolidated Fund, while other matters of public importance receive insufficient parliamentary attention.
Walton also invoked Article 9 of the Constitution, which states that sovereignty belongs to the people, arguing that this principle must be reflected in the way the country’s democratic institutions operate.
“The Government must understand that it is accountable to the people, and we, the people, must insist that the institutions established to secure that accountability are allowed to function,” she said.
The FGM leader is urging Members of the National Assembly to support the proposed amendments, saying regular sittings and protected opportunities for Private Members’ Business are necessary to uphold Parliament’s authority and the public’s right to representation.
The motion now places the question of parliamentary scheduling and the role of Private Members’ Business before the National Assembly, where its adoption would require the necessary parliamentary support.
