Opposition-elected House Speaker advantageous; AFC insists on sharing of Assembly positions
Written by Denis Chabrol and Kwesi Isles
Monday, 12 December 2011 11:39 DEMERARA WAVES
As discussions continue among the parliamentary parties on who should become the next Speaker of the National Assembly, Chairman of the Alliance For Change (AFC), Khemraj Ramjattan believes that position should go the opposition and in particular his party.
He explained that it is important that an opposition parliamentarian becomes the Speaker because in real politics, the opposition would be in a better position.
“The real politik is often in favour of those who would have elected him. His discretion can be more in our favour and that is why you would want it that way,” Ramjattan told Demerara Waves Online News ( www.demwaves.com ) . He expects that a Speaker from the opposition would favourably consider requests for adjournments of the House to discuss matters that the opposition may deem urgent matters.
Other advantages, he lists, include the fixing of the parliamentary agenda, opening up Wednesdays for the presentation of opposition bills and other papers and playing a major role in the running of the sectoral and other parliamentary committees.
The AFC Chairman insists that A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) should support his party getting the Speaker in the spirit of magnanimity and sharing in just the same way that the opposition coalition had expected the Peoples Progressive Party Civic (PPPC) to share its cabinet positions in a government of national unity.
Noting that APNU would get Opposition Leader, Deputy Speaker and Chief Whip, Ramjattan said there was no justifiable reason why the AFC’s Raphael Trotman or Moses Nagamootoo would not be supported for the position of Speaker.
“They (APNU) should be magnanimous with a party (AFC) and recognize its effort in breaking the stranglehold of the PPP in Berbice and creating a minority government,” said Ramjattan.
“They ought to be sharing with the AFC that very important portfolio to show that there is isn’t a monopoly because a party has the majority of seats,” he added.
Ramjattan said his party would not settle for the position of Deputy Speaker and he warned that if it comes down to voting along party lines, the PPPC could again clinch the Speaker with its single majority of 32 votes.
APNU is floating Attorney-at-Law, Debra Backer as its candidate while the PPPC appears set to support the re-election of Senior Counsel, Ralph Ramkarran.
Speaking to Demerara Waves Online News (www.demwaves.com), Trotman stated that by right the opposition should be doing the appointing since the PPP/C had done so when it controlled the House.
“For the first time in the history of Guyana we have an opposition-controlled parliament, therefore it stands to reason that the opposition should have the Speaker’s chair. Same way as when the government had the majority they chose the Speaker, so the same way the majority should choose the Speaker now,” Trotman stated.
APNU captured 26 seats in the just concluded elections while the AFC managed seven and the PPP/C 32, giving the opposition a one-seat majority in the 65-seat House, enough of an advantage to thwart government efforts or force consensus on legislation.
Should the Speaker come from among the elected parliamentarians the individual will still retain the right to vote in the House.
“Ordinarily the Speaker is not called on to vote, if my memory serves me correctly I’ve never seen Ralph Ramkarran vote, but because we have such a tenuous situation with a one-seat majority every vote will count,” Trotman said.
In an interview with demwaves.com on the importance of the Speaker political commentator and university lecturer Freddie Kissoon noted that the parliament is perhaps the supreme power in a country outside of the Constitution and it is this organ that the Speaker controls.
“The Speaker is the regulator of parliament, he determines which bill comes before parliament, he determines how often the parliament is called into session; when parliament meets on the 28th (December) the Speaker can determine the priority of the business.
So if the House is the supreme institution of the land he is the chairman of that institution,” Kissoon said.
Written by Denis Chabrol and Kwesi Isles
Monday, 12 December 2011 11:39 DEMERARA WAVES
As discussions continue among the parliamentary parties on who should become the next Speaker of the National Assembly, Chairman of the Alliance For Change (AFC), Khemraj Ramjattan believes that position should go the opposition and in particular his party.
He explained that it is important that an opposition parliamentarian becomes the Speaker because in real politics, the opposition would be in a better position.
“The real politik is often in favour of those who would have elected him. His discretion can be more in our favour and that is why you would want it that way,” Ramjattan told Demerara Waves Online News ( www.demwaves.com ) . He expects that a Speaker from the opposition would favourably consider requests for adjournments of the House to discuss matters that the opposition may deem urgent matters.
Other advantages, he lists, include the fixing of the parliamentary agenda, opening up Wednesdays for the presentation of opposition bills and other papers and playing a major role in the running of the sectoral and other parliamentary committees.
The AFC Chairman insists that A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) should support his party getting the Speaker in the spirit of magnanimity and sharing in just the same way that the opposition coalition had expected the Peoples Progressive Party Civic (PPPC) to share its cabinet positions in a government of national unity.
Noting that APNU would get Opposition Leader, Deputy Speaker and Chief Whip, Ramjattan said there was no justifiable reason why the AFC’s Raphael Trotman or Moses Nagamootoo would not be supported for the position of Speaker.
“They (APNU) should be magnanimous with a party (AFC) and recognize its effort in breaking the stranglehold of the PPP in Berbice and creating a minority government,” said Ramjattan.
“They ought to be sharing with the AFC that very important portfolio to show that there is isn’t a monopoly because a party has the majority of seats,” he added.
Ramjattan said his party would not settle for the position of Deputy Speaker and he warned that if it comes down to voting along party lines, the PPPC could again clinch the Speaker with its single majority of 32 votes.
APNU is floating Attorney-at-Law, Debra Backer as its candidate while the PPPC appears set to support the re-election of Senior Counsel, Ralph Ramkarran.
Speaking to Demerara Waves Online News (www.demwaves.com), Trotman stated that by right the opposition should be doing the appointing since the PPP/C had done so when it controlled the House.
“For the first time in the history of Guyana we have an opposition-controlled parliament, therefore it stands to reason that the opposition should have the Speaker’s chair. Same way as when the government had the majority they chose the Speaker, so the same way the majority should choose the Speaker now,” Trotman stated.
APNU captured 26 seats in the just concluded elections while the AFC managed seven and the PPP/C 32, giving the opposition a one-seat majority in the 65-seat House, enough of an advantage to thwart government efforts or force consensus on legislation.
Should the Speaker come from among the elected parliamentarians the individual will still retain the right to vote in the House.
“Ordinarily the Speaker is not called on to vote, if my memory serves me correctly I’ve never seen Ralph Ramkarran vote, but because we have such a tenuous situation with a one-seat majority every vote will count,” Trotman said.
In an interview with demwaves.com on the importance of the Speaker political commentator and university lecturer Freddie Kissoon noted that the parliament is perhaps the supreme power in a country outside of the Constitution and it is this organ that the Speaker controls.
“The Speaker is the regulator of parliament, he determines which bill comes before parliament, he determines how often the parliament is called into session; when parliament meets on the 28th (December) the Speaker can determine the priority of the business.
So if the House is the supreme institution of the land he is the chairman of that institution,” Kissoon said.
