The 10th Parliament of Guyana will convene this Thursday, January 12 at 14:00 hrs in the Parliament Chambers, Public Buildings Georgetown.
According to a GINA press release issued yesterday, President Donald Ramotar issued the proclamation yesterday in pursuance of Article 69(1) of the Constitution.
The proclamation comes as the opposition parties APNU and AFC are still to agree on who would be the Speaker of the National Assembly. The Speaker is elected by a simple majority in Parliament and this would be the first order of business of the sitting, followed by the election of Deputy Speaker.
Shortly after the announcement of the elections results the leaders of the parties in Parliament, at the invitation of President Donald Ramotar, met at the Office of the President for discussions and the selection of the Speaker was chief among the topics.
Presidential Advisor, Gail Teixeira said that during the discussion, Ramotar had proposed the last Speaker, Ralph Ramkarran, be re-elected to the position.
The parties then agreed to a subsequent meeting where the list of nominees would be reviewed. That meeting was never held and the AFC and APNU have since agreed that the Speaker will be from the opposition.
The AFC proposed Moses Nagamootoo for the position, while APNU had put forward two nominees in Deborah Backer and Bishwaishwar ‘Cammie’ Ramsaroop for the post. Talks between the two parties have been deadlocked ever since.
Last week, APNU floated the proposal that the two opposition parties – who together hold 33 of the 65 seats in the National Assembly – rotate the position of Speaker. And on Sunday, AFC presidential candidate Khemraj Ramjattan expressed optimism that the issue would be settled this week. He told Stabroek News that he welcomed the rotation proposal and saw it as an endorsement of the AFC’s candidate, Nagamootoo. Ramjattan also dismissed opinions expressed by the ruling PPP/C that the rotation proposal was “unrealistic.”
Dr Rupert Roopnaraine of APNU said that the party would be willing to work with anyone that the AFC is proposing for the post of Speaker in a rotational arrangement, even if that person is Nagamootoo.
This is in spite of the Leader of APNU David Granger making statements critical of Nagamootoo’s suitability for the post. With regard to which party will hold the speakership first, APNU has opted to go first, much to the chagrin of the AFC.
“The Alliance For Change welcomes the rotation principle but we do not find favour with rotation with flotation,” Ramjattan told Stabroek News, referring to APNU’s position that its candidate will hold the position of Speaker first. “By floating this idea that (the AFC) will only serve the second half of the term is rigid and dogmatist,” he said. “We don’t like that at all.”
According to Ramjattan, now that APNU has, in effect, accepted that Nagamootoo is suitable, “if he is good enough to serve…then why not the first half?” The AFC leader stressed that he personally does not have any problem with the rotation proposal and has even advocated for it and he and the party welcome it. “We are willing to proceed with negotiations that the AFC serves the first half,” he said.
He added that they would likely meet APNU early this week and he is certain that they can reach agreement then.
Ramjattan indicated that they would be pushing hard for the AFC’s candidate to hold the position of Speaker first. “If Moses is good enough for the second half, then he is good enough for the first half,” the AFC leader said.
The President’s proclamation will now force the opposition parties to finally make a decision.
source: Stabroeknews
According to a GINA press release issued yesterday, President Donald Ramotar issued the proclamation yesterday in pursuance of Article 69(1) of the Constitution.
The proclamation comes as the opposition parties APNU and AFC are still to agree on who would be the Speaker of the National Assembly. The Speaker is elected by a simple majority in Parliament and this would be the first order of business of the sitting, followed by the election of Deputy Speaker.
Shortly after the announcement of the elections results the leaders of the parties in Parliament, at the invitation of President Donald Ramotar, met at the Office of the President for discussions and the selection of the Speaker was chief among the topics.
Presidential Advisor, Gail Teixeira said that during the discussion, Ramotar had proposed the last Speaker, Ralph Ramkarran, be re-elected to the position.
The parties then agreed to a subsequent meeting where the list of nominees would be reviewed. That meeting was never held and the AFC and APNU have since agreed that the Speaker will be from the opposition.
The AFC proposed Moses Nagamootoo for the position, while APNU had put forward two nominees in Deborah Backer and Bishwaishwar ‘Cammie’ Ramsaroop for the post. Talks between the two parties have been deadlocked ever since.
Last week, APNU floated the proposal that the two opposition parties – who together hold 33 of the 65 seats in the National Assembly – rotate the position of Speaker. And on Sunday, AFC presidential candidate Khemraj Ramjattan expressed optimism that the issue would be settled this week. He told Stabroek News that he welcomed the rotation proposal and saw it as an endorsement of the AFC’s candidate, Nagamootoo. Ramjattan also dismissed opinions expressed by the ruling PPP/C that the rotation proposal was “unrealistic.”
Dr Rupert Roopnaraine of APNU said that the party would be willing to work with anyone that the AFC is proposing for the post of Speaker in a rotational arrangement, even if that person is Nagamootoo.
This is in spite of the Leader of APNU David Granger making statements critical of Nagamootoo’s suitability for the post. With regard to which party will hold the speakership first, APNU has opted to go first, much to the chagrin of the AFC.
“The Alliance For Change welcomes the rotation principle but we do not find favour with rotation with flotation,” Ramjattan told Stabroek News, referring to APNU’s position that its candidate will hold the position of Speaker first. “By floating this idea that (the AFC) will only serve the second half of the term is rigid and dogmatist,” he said. “We don’t like that at all.”
According to Ramjattan, now that APNU has, in effect, accepted that Nagamootoo is suitable, “if he is good enough to serve…then why not the first half?” The AFC leader stressed that he personally does not have any problem with the rotation proposal and has even advocated for it and he and the party welcome it. “We are willing to proceed with negotiations that the AFC serves the first half,” he said.
He added that they would likely meet APNU early this week and he is certain that they can reach agreement then.
Ramjattan indicated that they would be pushing hard for the AFC’s candidate to hold the position of Speaker first. “If Moses is good enough for the second half, then he is good enough for the first half,” the AFC leader said.
The President’s proclamation will now force the opposition parties to finally make a decision.
source: Stabroeknews
