Georgetown : Government Members condemned the Parliamentary Opposition for their ‘political stubbornness’ regarding their rejection of four Bills tabled by Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee targeting security reform. The Minister however, has stated quite clearly that he is content to await the sitting of the 11th Parliament after the next National Elections in Guyana to bring the Bills back to the National Assembly.
The four Bills rejected are the Evidence (Amendment) Bill, Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic (Amendment) Bill and the Guyana Fire Service (Change of Name) Bill, and the Police (Change of Name) Bill all aimed towards the security reform that the Opposition had been advocating for several years.
In a specially convened Press Conference in Committee Room 3 of the Parliament Buildings just after the last Bill was rejected, Prime Minister Samuel Hinds expressed his disappointment with the Parliamentary Opposition.
He pointed out their determination not to approve any legislation presented by the Minister despite their claims of commitment towards the fight against crime. PM Hinds noted that most of their objections against the Minister arose from their assumptions that the Minister was responsible for the deaths of three persons during the July 2012 Linden protests. These assumptions, he explained were however unjustified as proved by the Commission of Inquiry which investigated the happenings of that day. The Prime Minister declared that as such, the Opposition has no basis for the position they have taken and are not earnest and responsible.
Minister Rohee meanwhile expressed his commitment to the Bills laid by him and is of the firm conviction that they are appropriate for the reform process of the security sector. He noted that they had first been presented and approved by Cabinet before they were brought before the House. “The Bills are not about Clement Rohee, but about the PPP/C and the people of Guyana,” he said.
The Minister pointed out that the Bills are forward looking, progressive pieces of legislation and each Bill is non-reactionary and democratic. They all help each Guyanese to look forward to better service through security sector changes, he noted. Minister Rohee emphasised that the Bills were sourced from the Disciplined Services Commission before which body a number of other organisations along with the opposition appeared to plead for the reforms. “It is inconsistent behaviour by the opposition,” he stated.
Minister Rohee posited that they are now in a ‘bind’ because of the position taken not to approve Bills tabled by him and are now unable to extricate themselves. The Home Affairs Minister urged Guyanese to condemn this behaviour.
Meanwhile, Attorney General Anil Nandlall also supported his colleague Minister and pointed out that crime is a serious problem in Guyana. As such, he observed, leaders in Parliament must ensure their actions are consistent with the wishes of the people who put them there. He urged that issues should not be used to play ‘political football’, especially those related to crime.
Describing the merits of each Bill, Minister Nandlall explained the measures outlined to address criminal matters and their means to address the reform of the sector. He also pointed out that Opposition Leader David Granger was a member of the Disciplined Services Commission which gave the recommendation for the Security Sector Reform in Guyana.
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