Hundreds of Opposition supporters flock Burnham Court to rally against high cost of living, corruption

Aug 03, 2022 News -- Source -- https://www.kaieteurnewsonline...f-living-corruption/

Kaieteur News  – Hundreds of Guyanese on Tuesday congregated at Burnham Court to support a parliamentary Opposition-organised rally, against corruption, the high cost of living and extra-judicial killings, among other issues.

The People’s National Congress/Reform (PNC/R), the Working People’s Alliance (WPA) and the Alliance For Change (AFC) supporters turned up in their numbers as they cheered on the Coalition’s Members of Parliament who took to the podium to assure that the critical areas are not, and will not be left on the back burner.

In addition to the Opposition Leader, Aubrey Norton; David Hinds, Geeta Chandan-Edmond, Mervyn Williams, Juretha Fernandes, Sherod Duncan, Amanza Walton-Desir, Ganesh Mahipaul, Coretta McDonald, Christopher Jones, and Volda Lawrence were some of the popular faces who graced the event.

Shaking to songs of redemption, the supporters waved the National Arrowhead and their party flags as the sun went down. Opening the rally was WPA’s Kidackie Amsterdam who reminded the crowd that several young black lives were taken by the Guyana Police Force under the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) government, adding that, “we will not stand for extra-judicial killings; we will not stand for a corrupt police force. Further, we will not stand for a government taking actions, making decisions which are against the constitution and blatantly illegal in the management of the Guyana Police Force.”

AFC’s Fernandes, during her remarks, gave the audience an overview of the economy, insisting that the country is not being managed well, as is evident by the rising inflation rates. She pointed out that even though the government enjoys boasting of Guyana being poised to be the country with the highest growth in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) globally, Guyanese continue to suffer to purchase food, in an oil producing nation.

“We see all the nice numbers and all the nice headings but you have to remember ladies and gentlemen that when it comes to sugar, what is going on with sugar,” Fernandes reasoned, as she went on to note that a selected few of the PPP friends are benefitting from the largest budget passed to date, while the majority of the population continue to suffer.

The PNC/R’s Mervyn Williams in addressing the supporters said in President Irfaan Ali’s vision for a “One Guyana”, the PPP has effectively used its one seat majority in the National Assembly to shut out the voices of 49 percent of the country. According to him, “When you talk about leadership, you have the Vice News release that points to corruption in the highest offices of the land. You talk about trampling on the national constitution, playing around with constitutional commissions so that certain ends can be achieved. The procurement commission only came in after the boys them succeeded in doing other mischief before…so when it comes to leadership, they get an ‘F’ in leadership.”

On the other hand, it was insisted that there must be no other elections without a clean voters’ list.  In addition to those present at the venue, there were over 4,000 viewers who tuned in online.

No clean voters list, no election- Norton

Posted by: Denis Chabrol in News, Politics Wednesday, 3 August 2022, 8:07 0 Comments -- Last Updated on Wednesday, 3 August 2022, 8:07 by Denis Chabrol -- Source -- https://demerarawaves.com/2022...-no-election-norton/

WPA Executive Member, David Hinds.

The parliamentary opposition A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) and the Working People’s Alliance (WPA) Tuesday night threw down the gauntlet on the two-year old Irfaan Ali-led administration, signaling that they would block the holding of future elections with what they regard as a padded voters list and pressure the government to address 0ther concerns.

“We are organising to get bigger and bigger and the PPP (People’s Progressive Party) must know and you must be prepared. If they are not prepared to give us a clean voters list, we must do everything to ensure there is no election with the dirty list,” Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton said, adding that “we need to prevent them from rigging the next election.”

He also said the struggle for a clean voters list would be linked to the removal of Retired Justice Claudette Singh as Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission because she has been voting consistently with the PPP election commissioners to make decisions.

Mr Norton sought to convince supporters that the coalition would win the next general elections if the names of deceased persons and migrants are removed. The High Court has long ruled that the National Database of Registrants cannot be amended or replaced from new house-to-house registration. The names of persons are removed based on claims and objections and the General Register’s Office providing the names of deceased persons to the Elections Commission.

Seemingly impressed by the turnout at the rally- the first since Mr Norton became the leader of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) and emerged as Opposition Leader- he said the opposition would intensify its mobilisation. Under the David Granger leadership, the PNCR and APNU+AFC had slipped into dormancy.

Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton addressing supporters at the Burnham Basketball Court.

WPA Executive Member, Dr David Hinds encouraged attendees to follow-up on the pledge by Golden Grove, East Coast Demerara residents to continue protesting the police shooting death of Quindon Bacchus and other grievances as part of moves to take the “struggle to another level” for economic and political power.  “Tonight, I want you to make that pledge. We (are) not coming off the road,” he said. He hinted at stern resistance should the police attempt to break up peaceful protests. “Violence comes from the police. It is they that we have to tell about peaceful protest because they’re not peaceful. We say to them that we are not a violent people but we are not cowards, we are not a violent people but we are not going to be fearful from tonight,” he said.

Priorities for the coalition and the WPA are rising food prices, which he labelled “economic violence”, police brutality, discrimination in the allocation of oil money. “We are going to be at the table for our share of the oil money,” said Dr Hinds as he urged supporters to put their fists into the air as a sign of Black Power, Brown Power and People’s Power as he invoked the historic WPA slogan “People’s Power, No Dictator”.

Opposition Leader Norton said plans now included “going back to the village to mobilise more people” as part of a plan to secure electoral victory. General and regional elections are constitutionally due in 2025.

The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) will in the coming weeks decide whether an APNU+AFC election petition could be heard in Guyana’s courts although the High Court has thrown it out for failing to reach certain timelines.

Opposition signals boycott of Parliament over members’ suspension

Aug 04, 2022 News -- Source -- https://www.kaieteurnewsonline...-members-suspension/

Kaieteur News – The Parliamentary opposition is hoping to secure a court order preventing the suspension of eight of its Members of Parliament (MPs) when the matter is called at the High Court today.

Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton with some suspended members before the motion was passed

If not, the opposing side of the House is set to boycott an upcoming sitting of the National Assembly where it is expected that government will seek support for a Supplementary Provision totaling some $44.7B.

Hours before the planned tabling of the motion in the National Assembly to suspend the eight MPs two weeks ago, the opposition- A Partnership for National Unity +Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) moved to the court to challenge the Committee of Privileges recommendation. The MPs are to be suspended over the unauthorised removal of the mace last December. The document stated that the High Court was asked to issue an order for all eight opposition parliamentarians to perform their duties as Members of the National Assembly until they have been afforded the right to be heard. The parliamentarians also want the High Court to block Speaker, Manzoor Nadir, and the Clerk of the National Assembly, Sherlock Isaacs from permitting, causing or allowing any consideration of the Report of the Parliamentary Select Committee of Privileges. MPs Sherod Duncan, Christopher Jones, Ganesh Mahipaul, Vinceroy Jordan, Annette Ferguson, Natasha Singh-Lewis, Maureen A. Philadelphia, and Tabitha Halley were nonetheless suspended when the Committee of Privileges report was passed in Parliament.

The opposition members are not taking the matter lying down as they are depending on the court decision to make their next move. Ganesh Mahipaul told the newspaper yesterday that the opposition is looking forward to the court upholding the members’ right to a “fair hearing”. The opposition has argued that following the events regarding the mace, the opposition was asked to show reason why they should not be suspended; but even after inquiring what rules and regulations were broken, no information was provided. The opposition is also arguing that the motion was brought by government MP and committee member Gail Teixeira who took the matter to the Speaker who then sent it to the committee. And despite Article 144 (8) of the Constitution speaking to the right to a fair hearing of an impartial tribunal or competent court, the opposition said what happened instead is that the same person who made the accusation, carried the motion, tried the accusers and laid the sentence.

The opposition is adamant however, that suspending the eight is part of an orchestrated move to “weaken the guardrails of democracy, transparency and accountability,” since less opposition MPS means less scrutiny in Parliament. With government move to the Parliament for mega supplementary provisions, there will be less opposition members to scrutinise the sums being requested.

– Court refuses to grant injunction

Aug 05, 2022 News -- Source -- https://www.kaieteurnewsonline...nded-opposition-mps/

Kaieteur News – After listening to the initial submissions in the case filed for interim orders to put a hold on the suspension of eight opposition Members of Parliament (MPs), Justice Damon Younge on Thursday, refused the application for injunctive relief.

Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton with some suspended members after filing the court case.

A Partnership for National Unity +Alliance For Change APNU+AFC MPs: Sherod Duncan, Christopher Jones, Ganesh Mahipaul, Vinceroy Jordan, Annette Ferguson, Natasha Singh-Lewis, Maureen A. Philadelphia, and Tabitha Halley were officially suspended from the National Assembly for a list of parliamentary infractions following the ruckus which was caused in the House on December 29, 2021, during the passage of the Natural Resource Fund (NRF) law.

The eight opposition MPs were suspended after a majority vote of in support of a motion to suspend them tabled in the House on July 22 last. The motion came as a result of a decision made at the level of the Parliamentary Committee of Privileges.

Following deliberations of the committee over the December 29 ruckus, it was recommended that the Opposition MPs be suspended from attending several consecutive sittings of the House. As a result of the suspension, the MPs will lose their pay as well as access to parliament and any business of the House.

The suspended MPs had filed a case in the court just hours before the decision to suspend them was taken. In the case, they outlined that they were not given a right to a hearing by the bipartisan Privileges Committee. The report of the committee shows that they were invited to show cause why they should not be punished but the MPs denied having committed any of the acts that they have been accused of.

They instead asked for details of the offences. The Committee relied on live video recordings and testimonies by the media and staff of the Parliamentary Office. At the filing of the court matter, the MPs  expressed hope that the Court would grant a injunction to put on hold their suspension from the House, allowing to attend parliament until the case is fully heard on its merits. However, when the matter was called at the High Court on Thursday morning Kaieteur News understands that Justice Young refused to grant the order for an injunction in the absence of essential information related to the case.

“I am not minded to grant any interim orders without having considered the Notices of Application that has been filed and, as indicated, not on the Court’s file,” the judge is quoted as saying.

Prior to the Judge’s decision, Attorney for the applicants, Selwyn Pieters lobbied heavily for the stay to be granted so that the MPs can continue attend parliament until the full hearing and determination of the substantive matter.

Pieters  contended the case raises significant issues of constitutional law and policy, administrative law and matters of public importance – “particularly where, as here, quarter of the Opposition Bench has been suspended leaving over 60,000 Guyanese voters without their representatives in the National Assembly of this Court does not intervene.”

Further, the lawyer pointed to the affidavit of Sarabo-Halley filed on July 28, 2022 where she set out individual, collective and public interest consequences of the decision of the National Assembly. “Particularly that the the next scheduled sitting of the National Assembly is on the 8th day of August, 2022, at which it is expected that the Government will proceed to deliberate on Financial Paper No. I of 2022, which is in excess of $44 billion,” Pieters added.

He stressed that the suspension inhibits the democratic process by removing a duly-elected representative of the people. Further, the people should be entitled to a transparent and open process to explain why their representatives have been suspended, which is also denied by the failure to provide the allegations the Parliamentarians had to meet and to hear the other side in breach of the “Audi Alteram Parten”  or “Listen to the other side” rule.

Despite the attorney’s plea, Justice Younge deferred hearing the matter until Monday August 10, 2022 when further arguments will be heard in relation to the matter.  In the meantime, the APNU +AFC opposition coalition has vowed to boycott the next sitting of the National Assembly.

Snatching of Speaker’s Mace: Court denies suspended APNU/AFC MPs application to attend Parliament

Lawyer Selwyn Pieters’s request for eight APNU/AFC Members of Parliament (MPs) to attend sittings of the National Assembly despite them being suspended by the Parliamentary Committee of Privileges for unacceptable behaviour, has been denied by High Court Judge Damone Younge.

The next sitting of Parliament is on Monday.

A tug-of-war between APNU+AFC MPs and Parliament Staff after the Opposition Parliamentarians stole the mace from Speaker Manzoor Nadir in December 2021

Opposition Chief Whip Christopher Jones, Ganesh Mahipaul, Sherod Duncan, Natasha Singh-Lewis, Annette Ferguson, Vinceroy Jordan, Tabitha Sarabo-Halley, and Maureen Philadelphia, were officially suspended last month for participating in the infamous grabbing of the Speaker’s Mace and disruptions of the National Assembly sitting on December 29, 2021.

The suspended MPs, however, are challenging their suspension at the High Court.

Against Attorney General Anil Nandlall, SC; House Speaker Manzoor Nadir; and Clerk of the National Assembly, Sherlock Isaacs, they are, among other things, seeking a declaration that the report of the Parliamentary Committee of Privileges is unconstitutional, null, void, and of no legal effect; and is a breach of the principles of natural justice, as their rights, as guaranteed under Article 144 (8) of the Constitution, have been infringed.

Further, they are seeking an order suspending any decision, resolution, or other determination made by the National Assembly to suspend them; and a further order that they are allowed to perform their duties until they have been afforded the right to be heard before the Parliamentary Sessional Select Committee of Privileges, pending the hearing and determination of their case.

During a hearing of their Fixed Date Application (FDA) on Thursday, Justice Younge said that while she heard submissions from the respective parties, at this stage of the proceedings, she was not minded granting any interim orders without having considered Nandlall’s Notice of Application (NoA). In that application, the Attorney General is seeking an order granting an extension of time to file and serve an Application in Defence to the MPs amended FDA filed on July 28.

The Opposition MPs were granted until August 8 to file an Affidavit in Answer to the AG’s NoA. Arguments on the application for an extension of time will be heard on August 10.

As much as I ain't a PPP guy I do think dem opposition people does play wrong an strong when things doan go their way.

Ali dismisses Norton’s ‘no election’ threat

Posted by: Denis Chabrol in News, Politics Saturday, 6 August 2022, 23:34 1 Comment -- Last Updated on Saturday, 6 August 2022, 23:34 by Denis Chabrol -- Source -- https://demerarawaves.com/2022...-no-election-threat/

President Irfaan Ali.   Mr. Aubrey Norton.

President Irfaan Ali on Saturday dismissed Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton’s threats that everything would be done to block the holding of general ands regional elections with a list that his coalition regards as padded with the names of deceased persons and migrants.

“The list is no the problem. His integrity is the problem. His inability to recognise democracy and his inability to abide by the rule of law and his inability to respect the will of the people is the problem and he needs to fix it,” he said.

He told reporters in Buxton, East Coast Demerara that the same national register of registrants had been used to generate the voters list in 2011 when a minority People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC) administration had been elected and then defeated in 2015. “Apparently, this is only a problem when you don’t win an election,” Dr Ali said.

The Opposition Leader last week cautioned that everything would be done to stop an election from being held if the voters list was not cleansed.

Mr Norton’s People’s National Congress Reform-led coalition of A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance For Change has accused the PPPC of getting persons to vote in the names of deceased and migrated persons.

The PPPC has often dismissed that accusation, saying there were sufficient safeguards to prevent substitute voting.

“The list is not the problem” – Pres Ali on Norton’s “no elections” threat

President Dr Irfaan Ali and Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton

President Dr Irfaan Ali has poured cold water on Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton’s threat that there would be “no elections” if the list of electors is not clean, pointing out that the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) only has a problem with the list when it does not win the elections.

During an interview on the sidelines of a recent event in Buxton, the President pointed out the trend. He noted that there was no outcry from the Opposition A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC), of which the PNCR is a major part, about a dirty list when it won the elections in 2015.

“First of all, I don’t know what he is referring to as a dirty list. This is the list that went to the elections in 2015, the list that brought him to Government. That’s the list that went to the 2011 elections that saw a minority Government. That’s the list that went to the 2020 election that saw a majority Government.”

“So, apparently this list is only a problem when you don’t win the elections. The list is not the problem… his inability to recognise democracy and… his inability to respect the will of the people is the problem. And he needs to fix that,” President Ali said.

President Dr Irfaan Ali

During a recent rally with his supporters, Norton had said that the party would not participate in an election where the list was not clean. He had also repeated a call he has previously made for the removal of Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Chair, Retired Justice Claudette Singh.

“We have to have a clean election list… every observer team that came here said we need a new list. We need a clean voters’ list… as part of this clean list campaign, we have to make it clear that Claudette Singh must go,” Norton told the crowd.

According to Norton, if his party does not get its way with a “clean” voters’ list, then it will do all in its power to prevent elections with a dirty list.

GECOM has already conducted a Continuous Registration Exercise in order to update the List of Electors and pave the way for the hosting of Local Government Elections (LGE). GECOM has said that this registration exercise is of crucial importance for first-time applicants – those persons who were 14 to 18 years old when they were registered during the 2019 House-to-House exercise.

Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton

It is also understood that GECOM is looking to have an updated voters’ list in place by October, in order for the Local Government Elections (LGE) to be held. The last time GECOM conducted Continuous Registration was in 2019, in preparation for the March 2020 General and Regional Elections.

More than $750 million has been set aside in Budget 2022 for the preparations to be undertaken by GECOM for the hosting of LGE this year. This money is part of an overall $4.1 billion allocation to GECOM’s in Budget 2022, and was examined and approved by the National Assembly during its consideration of the 2022 Budget Estimates.

Included in the $783 million for LGE is a more-than-$300 million increase in “other goods and services purchased”, which jumped from $250.8 million in 2021 to $575.9 million in the 2022 budget.

LGE are constitutionally due every two years in Guyana and were last held in 2018. However, given the fiasco that played out following the 2020 General and Regional Elections, the Local Government polls were deferred to 2021.

At the last LGE in November 2018, the then People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Opposition had secured 52 of the 80 Local Authority Areas (LAAs). This followed the holding of the LGE in 2016, during which the PPP/C also claimed the majority of the LAAs.