Georgetown: “I am appalled and feel ashamed of our Parliament today; that some of our colleagues specifically MPs from A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), and Alliance for Change (AFC), used their numerical advantage to once again stifle the voice of the Private Sector,” according to Minister of Agriculture, Leslie Ramsammy.
He explained that Guyana’s Constitution and Parliamentary Standing Order promotes participatory democracy by finding a way where every segment of society can participate in “ensuring we build a strong Democracy. One way to do so is at the level of the Parliament of Guyana from individuals and groups. Such petitions allow the public to bring their voices to the floor of the Parliament.”
Ramsammy underscored that these petitions ask Members of Parliament (MPs) to support them for various reasons. Petitions can also ask MPs to support or not to support various actions that Parliament may want to pursue. For example, Guyana’s Parliament was considering a Bill to legalize gambling and Casinos in Guyana. The Church/ Religious Leaders presented a petition to Parliament asking not to have the Bill passed and have Casinos legalized in Guyana.
He continued: “This is a right of citizens in Guyana and a right catered for by the Constitution and Standing Orders of the Parliament. MPs might embrace the petition and act on it or MPs could disagree and do nothing.
In 2006, when the Casino Bill was presented, the Parliament noted the petition of the Religious Leaders, but passed the Bill nevertheless. Earlier, this year the University of Guyana (UG) staff also presented a petition to Parliament and the Parliament received the petition.
In this case, the Parliament sent the petition to a Special Select Committee to have the petition of the University of Guyana Staff considered.
Presently, the Parliament is considering a Bill for the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Act. The Bill has since been in the House for several months and the Special Select Committee made up of MPs has been considering the Bill. The Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Act has important implications for finance transactions and business in Guyana.
The MPs merely sought to use provisions of the Constitution and Standing Order of Parliament to exercise Freedom of Expression and Speech. The Private Sector requested MP Manzoor Nadir to present a petition on their behalf and ask the Parliament of Guyana to consider passage of the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Act into Law.
Whether as MPs we would adhere to the pleas of the Private Sector and to make the call for urgent support is up to the individual MPs. We do not need to respond to their pleas, but we need to respect their right to make that plea.
“When any Parliament rejects that right, that Parliament is not deserving of its role in leading in participatory democracy and that is what we did today by rejecting from the Private Sector the right to present a petition.
As a long standing Member of Parliament, one who has worked assiduously to strength of the Standing Orders to promote and strengthen participatory democracy and as a Member who has work assiduously to ensure public participation in Parliament as a mechanism for their voices to be heard; I feel that we have betrayed that trust the people of this countryhave placed in us.
“We are merely the representatives of the voices of the people. It is through us that their voices are being heard. Today we stifle the people by disallowing that constitutional and moral right of the people of Guyana to make petitions to MPs. It was an appalling act of the House to allow Members to call the attempt to make a petition a “Propaganda effort” and to respond to the people by saying their petition to Parliament is vexatious and malicious.
I, as an MP, am happy that the Members from the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C), stood once again on the side of the people. We together on the PPP side rejects the effort of the APNU/AFC to stiffle the voices of the people of Guyana. “
You must be logged in to post a comment.