Political observers said that this is an interesting development and may speak of crack developing in the Opposition in its campaign to inflict budget cuts.

The Opposition had managed to collectively cut billions of dollars from the National 2012 and 2013 budgets. The two opposition parties have since come under heavy criticism from the Guyanese populace.

We should all accept this as a sign of changes for the good in Guyana politics. MPs from both sides should be able to vote freely across party line, or decline from voting as Volda Lawrence did. I know this will not end well with APNU, but its a start in the right direction. 

In time, one will see the developments.

Remember though, as done for all to see/know, when a member of parliament in ill, the person is immediately removed and replaced by another member, as was recently done by the PNC.

A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) parliamentarian, Volda Lawrence on Friday sought to explain how her vote for spending on the security sector went down as an abstention.
Lawrence said by the time she could have received advice from APNU Chief Whip, Amna Ally on how to vote immediately on returning to the Chamber she did not respond when her name was called. "The Speaker should have put it line-by-line and not together. Instead of that he put it wholly so by the time I concurred with my Chief Whip it was already gone on the floor," Lawrence told Demerara Waves Online News.

When contacted, Ally corroborated Lawrence’s account and also expanded what had transpired. Ally said the opposition had expected House Speaker to put each financial paper separately rather than bunch all of them together. “By bunching all of them together, we had to vote the way we did because if he had put them separately we would have decided which one we were supporting, if at all, and which one we were not,” she told Demerara Waves Online News.

The Opposition Chief Whip said Lawrence was unwell and was not readily aware of what was happening on her return to the House around the time of voting for the security sector. “Ms. Lawrence was sick. When she came in back, she didn’t catch herself until long after and she couldn’t speak, she was making signs to the Clerk,” said Ally.
Ally assured that “there was no sinister move, no deflection” by Lawrence. Asked to respond to suggestions by several ordinary folk that she might have benefitted from inducements from the government to abstain, Lawrence refused to answer, referred further questions to Ally and terminated the phone call.

[SOURCEEMERARA WAVES]

Valda Lawerence stood up for what was right and just also she's not afraid of the recall legislation that Granger may be tempted to use.

If she did something right she should own it and take the consequences.

Her non support for some of the bills speaks volume, especially when she abstain for voting on the allocation for the Specialty Hospital, she knows to her gut its a good initiative and should not be left by the wayside by voting along party line. By voting against party lines she stand a great chance of being recall by Granger.

did nagamotto speak volumes? you folks are a laugh.

PPP denies inducing APNU's Volda Lawrence to abstain

General Secretary of the Peoples Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) Clement Rohee says he is unaware that his party, or members therein had offered A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Member of Parliament (MP) Volda Lawrence any special considerations to break rank with her Party.

Lawrence at the last sitting of the National Assembly (December 12) remained silent (abstained) in the House while voting was ongoing to approve spending for several sectors the opposition had intended to disapprove.

Rohee rejected rumors which suggested that Lawrence ‘broke rank’ with her Party because she had been offered special considerations by member(s) of the PPP. He said it is a serious issue for the APNU and refused to comment further on a matter which he said is surrounded by speculation.

Opposition Leader David Granger had said that his Party will be thoroughly investigating what appears to be a ‘blow off’ at the last minute by Lawrence. The Opposition Leader told reporters that there were plans to vote along specified lines which he said were long standing and based on principles.

Lawrence at the December 12 sitting of the National Assembly stunned the House by refusing to bite with her party against allocations for several sectors.

When the vote was taken, all APNU MPs voted ‘no’ while Lawrence remained quiet (abstained)

Earlier when the vote was being taken for resources for the Specialty Hospital, Lawrence left the National Assembly in haste. Her departure saw both APNU and AFC losing the vote to deny the specialty hospital funds.

excerpts from Inewsgy

Members of Parliament should be allowed to vote with their conscience and not tow the party line. This applies to all parties. Guyana can be a far better off place if MP's take a stand including a stand against corruption.

then you have to ask for direct representation because as it stands the leader of the party can hire and fire parliamentarians as they see fit. If that lady  became a water carrier for the PPP she is gone like that....

Danyael

We must all demand changes in Guyana to make it a better place for all Guyanese. She is a very brave woman and put some of our PPP boys to shame. All MP's need to sit down and carve out a future for Guyana.

The political atmosphere in Guyana is polarized and the people will not benefit from this atmosphere. The international community declared the current parliament as a win win situation for Guyana but the parties kept up to the old school politics of division.

During a recent visit to Guyana, I saw many things wrong and I will start speaking out while still fighting for reform within the PPP. Rammo needs to clip a few PPP boys wings and I hope that he starts sooner than later otherwise Jagan's PPP will no longer exist in ten years.

I also saw many positive things about Guyana and wished that our beloved Guyana can grow and prosper if politicians set aside their massive egos and put Guyana first.

Some Ministers must also learn to live within their means and keep their fingers away from the cookie jar.

she join the Alibaba gang

Isn't your father the head of the Ali Baba gang?

Character assassination seems to be the rule of the day within the joint opposition camp, as soon as a member of the AFC/APNU don't agree with the party's sinister line, they are deemed "damage goods" Ms.Lawerence did the right thing and followed her conscience even if it may cost her seat, at the end of the day, Granger is armed to the teeth, with the power of the recall legislation.

[www.inewsguyana.com] – Opposition Leader David Granger confirmed on Friday (December 27) that Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly and Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister  Deborah Backer is still hospitalized.

According to the Granger, the PNC/R stalwart is recovering fine and is currently in a stable condition. The Opposition Leader refused to divulge the details of Backer’s Ailment.

The Deputy Speaker reportedly fell ill in late November causing her to miss the last two sitting of the National Assembly. The Speaker at the last siting had wished her a speedy recovering.

Whether she will be able to attend the next sitting of the House set for January 16 is still unknown.

You are right. You are the best at it.

What you guys did to Mr.Yusuf....speaks volume

Is he back in the PPP/C fold?

It seems Mr.Yusuf was made a public example for speaking against corruption and cronyism within the AFC camp.

He is blind to the corruption in the PPP/C. You Brahmins know how to con properties for your own self enrichment.

There you go, continually trying to assassinate Mr.Yusuf's character, Ramjattan once referred to him as "damage goods", its only time before Dr. Tarron and the other high level defects receive the same treatment.

You guys will pay dearly for what you are doing to the country and the citizens. All your friends and cronies that you guys are helping, will come to an end very soon. AFC and APNU keep up the good work you are doing, justice will prevail.

Chairman of the Alliance for Change (AFC), Nigel Hughes, was appointed as the ‘Secretary’ of the Amaila Falls Hydro Inc., the Special Purpose Vehicle/Company created for the development, construction and operation of the US$858M Hydro Power plant.
Executive Member of the AFC, Cathy Hughes, the wife of Nigel Hughes, as recent as yesterday issued a press statement in which she was identified as the Public Relations Officer for Sithe Global, locally.
Party Leader Khemraj Ramjattan, when contacted said that he was aware that Hughes has an association with the company but said he did not know that he was Company Secretary.
 
 
Excerpts from the Kaieteurnews

Myth,

Your AFC has become just a parliamentary force to deal with. It is temporary and will pass like a rain cloud. The party's support has dwindled to nothing in Region 6. There is little hope for the AFC to return to parliament with more than 2 seats. Ramjattan and Moses can fire off everything they've got in their arsenals at the gov't.  The ruling party which commands majority support can absorb it and rebound.

They should call this Nigel dude "Double-Hand".

billy ram goat where you went grassing  not in guyana the indian people in guyana do not want to here you mention the ppp pradoville  was a ppp mistake

I will be happy if they hold the balance of power with even only one seat. The ruling party secured less than 51% and most of its support base has shrunk due to migration, etc... This tenth parliament has been a revelation to the Guyanese people and the world is watching.

Warrior and Myth,

Don't find this dude, Nigel Hughes, to be a crook? This man has been collecting money from a gov't project while fighting against it in parliament.  Don't you feel misled and used?

The joint opposition are cognizant of that fact that, the P.P.P was a victim of its own success, the AFC/APNU would never put their one seat "majority" at risk by passing a vote of no confidence against the Government in the National Assembly.

Conscience,

I had a beer with a Guyanese who is in NY for a couple weeks vacation. He told me that even though there is corruption in the  country it comes nothing near to what took place under the PNC when party cadres took over the gov't and nationalized industries and held businessmen and ordinary citizens at ransom. That is no longer the case in Guyana.  The poor Guyanese can now obtain a loan to build a house or start a business. Young Guyanese are now experimenting with new business ideas. Businesses are doing well. He pointed that trading in the PPP for the PNC is tantamount to exhanging a Toyota for a Donkey Cart. It's a backward move to do so.

the ppp was a vitim of its own success what the hell the ppp ever do successfully the skeldon factory the hydro power plan the berbice river bridge that is killing the poor people georgetown hospital were people walk in for a simple operation and come out dead the hope canal that miss numerous deadline and the list goes on and on oh sorry you mean pradoville 

Going back to the original topic we can see that Granger is keeping with the Burnhamist doctrine of keeping all members of the party's executive under firm control. This iron-fisted type of leadership will bring sorrows to this nation again if it is not stopped. The PNC's sidekick in parliament will have be to de-clawed and dispensed by at the next elections. We must work hard to achieve this goal. Guyanese must never again fall prey to tyrants.

BRB, what was in the container from Ed Ahmad that was delivered tax free to State House?

Stop lying. The corruption under Jagdeo and the present PPP administration is worse than anything ever experienced in the history of Guyana. It's getting worse every year. 

This person u had a beer with is a liar.

de beer-drinkin Guyanese fren of billy ramgoat visiting NYC must have been anchor babeee minista robber(t) de great [tiefman, dat is]

it caan be billy baifren kwameee since he visa cancel

I agree with Conscience here  - Granga get roped into the PPP corruption.

How much was Vulga Lawrence paid?