| ‘I will not assent to Opposition bills that lack Executive’s input’ |  |  |  |
| Written by GINA |
| Wednesday, 13 June 2012 22:33 |
| - President Ramotar PRESIDENT Donald Ramotar has sent a warning to the Opposition about the abuse of their one seat majority in the National Assembly, stating categorically that he will not affix his signature to any bill that is brought to his desk without the input of the Executive.  President Donald Ramotar Speaking to Editor-in-Chief of the National Communications Network (NCN), Michael Gordon, at a special interview yesterday, President Ramotar revisited the three arms of government which give the Executive exclusive jurisdiction to implement policies and laws. “That is not the function of the Opposition. They must respect what is their role… I am making it very clear that I will not assent to any bill that they carry, unless it is with the full agreement of the Executive and the full involvement of the Executive.” The president regards the move by the Opposition a violation of the separation of powers and an attempt to confiscate authority that was not constitutionally given to them. It is on this basis that President Ramotar said the government has taken to litigation in an attempt to seek redress over the cuts to the 2012 National Budget. He noted that the Opposition said they (government) can return to the National Assembly for supplementary funding, but the sittings yesterday and today will really be the ‘acid’ test of such facility. The government took to the High Court against the Opposition regarding the cuts, with the case being based on the structure of the Guyana Constitution and the doctrine of the separation of powers of the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary. At the convening of the case on June 7, Minister of Legal Affairs and Attorney General, Anil Nandlall stated that the actions of the Opposition in the National Assembly have taken away that ability from the Executive, several other constitutional creations, and other important executive entities, bodies that were created by executive decisions. The Attorney General contended that the presentation of estimates to the Assembly is a function that resides exclusively with the Executive, which the Assembly has the power to scrutinise, approve or disapprove, but not the power to reduce. The case has been adjourned to July 3, 2012, giving the opposition three weeks in which to prepare submissions on why the interim order applied for should not be granted to the government. President Ramotar is, however, hoping for expeditiousness and is counting on the advice of his attorneys who are convinced that the government’s case is sound and justifiable. “Before we think about other steps, let’s wait on this judicial step to be taken to restore what I believe was a violation of the Constitution by the Opposition in the National Assembly,” President Ramotar said. The Opposition parties voted against $21B from the 2012 National Budget, jeopardising the functions and very existence of some crucial government sectors and programmes. Among them are the Low Carbon Development Strategy, which lost $18B and the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC), the Government Information Agency (GINA) the Customs Anti Narcotics Unit (CANU) and the State Planning Secretariat, all of which were left with one Guyana dollar. The Private Sector Commission (PSC) has reported noticeable deceleration of some indicators in the economy as a result of the unprecedented cuts, which, it believes, are not overly alarming, but are “showing up more and more every day.” The PSC was also appalled by cuts to the Amaila Falls Hydropower project which it believes would have promoted competitiveness by encouraging the processing and manufacturing sectors in Guyana. President Ramotar noted in last evening’s interview the impact such a project would have had on the country’s fuel importation bill which at present demands high expenditure. |
