AFC has merged with PNC/APNU
Written by Robert Ganesh
Saturday, 18 February 2012 23:57
Source - Guyana Chronicle
ON February 10, 2012, at the official opening of Parliament, Speaker of the House, Mr. Raphael Trotman departed from tradition and asked the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition to make a few remarks after President Donald Ramotar delivered the inaugural address to commence the sitting of Parliament. He also allowed the Alliance For Change (AFC)’s Mr Khemraj Ramjattan a few remarks.
When A Partnership for National Unity’s Mr. David Granger spoke, he said he was speaking for the Opposition. Ramjattan, when he spoke, did not contradict that statement. He tacitly agreed that Granger was his political leader.
Later, after the President departed, the Assembly was resumed to put in place the Committee of Selection. This was the first business of the House since the election of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker.
At the February 10 sitting, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) would have had the majority of the members of the Committee of Selection, if the makeup of that Committee was an odd number. This is so because the rule is that the committee be selected on the basis of proportion in the House. The PPP, with the largest portion of seats, was entitled to the majority of seat.
However, in the spirit of compromise, the Prime Minister moved that the size of the Committee should be ten. He proposed that the split be five for the Government, and five for the Opposition.
The APNU amended the motion of the PM and established the Committee with nine members.
They then proceeded to violate the principle of proportionality and give themselves five members and the government side was given four.
The AFC voted with the PNC/APNU on this grave violation of Parliamentary Democracy.
This was following the earlier sitting for the position of Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly when the AFC again violated Parliamentary Democracy.
At that sitting, the AFC and PNC/APNU voted to support the opposition in the Speaker’s Chair in the person of Raphael Trotman.
These are early signs we are seeing that the PNC/APNU has not changed. They lost the elections, but are still demanding more than they are entitled to. How could the PPP/C and PNC/APNU be allocated the same amount of Committee members when the PPP/C obtained almost 50% of the votes and the PNC only 40%?
This Party is showing its anti-democratic nature even in the opposition.
They were able to do so because Ramjattan, Nagamootoo and the rest of the AFC Parliamentarians have accepted the leadership of APNU. They are, therefore, no better than the dictators who run the PNC/APNU.
The PNC/APNU and AFC are incapable of being democratic.
Written by Robert Ganesh
Saturday, 18 February 2012 23:57
Source - Guyana Chronicle
ON February 10, 2012, at the official opening of Parliament, Speaker of the House, Mr. Raphael Trotman departed from tradition and asked the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition to make a few remarks after President Donald Ramotar delivered the inaugural address to commence the sitting of Parliament. He also allowed the Alliance For Change (AFC)’s Mr Khemraj Ramjattan a few remarks.
When A Partnership for National Unity’s Mr. David Granger spoke, he said he was speaking for the Opposition. Ramjattan, when he spoke, did not contradict that statement. He tacitly agreed that Granger was his political leader.
Later, after the President departed, the Assembly was resumed to put in place the Committee of Selection. This was the first business of the House since the election of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker.
At the February 10 sitting, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) would have had the majority of the members of the Committee of Selection, if the makeup of that Committee was an odd number. This is so because the rule is that the committee be selected on the basis of proportion in the House. The PPP, with the largest portion of seats, was entitled to the majority of seat.
However, in the spirit of compromise, the Prime Minister moved that the size of the Committee should be ten. He proposed that the split be five for the Government, and five for the Opposition.
The APNU amended the motion of the PM and established the Committee with nine members.
They then proceeded to violate the principle of proportionality and give themselves five members and the government side was given four.
The AFC voted with the PNC/APNU on this grave violation of Parliamentary Democracy.
This was following the earlier sitting for the position of Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly when the AFC again violated Parliamentary Democracy.
At that sitting, the AFC and PNC/APNU voted to support the opposition in the Speaker’s Chair in the person of Raphael Trotman.
These are early signs we are seeing that the PNC/APNU has not changed. They lost the elections, but are still demanding more than they are entitled to. How could the PPP/C and PNC/APNU be allocated the same amount of Committee members when the PPP/C obtained almost 50% of the votes and the PNC only 40%?
This Party is showing its anti-democratic nature even in the opposition.
They were able to do so because Ramjattan, Nagamootoo and the rest of the AFC Parliamentarians have accepted the leadership of APNU. They are, therefore, no better than the dictators who run the PNC/APNU.
The PNC/APNU and AFC are incapable of being democratic.
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