Opposition vote down Firearms Bill on Rohee's return

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Former Member

UPDATED: Opposition vote down Firearms Bill on Rohee's return

Written by Kwesi Isles

Thursday, 14 March 2013 16:15

Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee addressed the National Assembly on Thursday.

The joint opposition on Thursday voted down the Firearms Amendment Bill in the name of Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee on his return to full parliamentary privileges in the National Assembly.

The bill is aimed at strengthening local laws and conforming with international treaties and agreements in CARICOM.

During his debate the minister noted that the amendment would make the trafficking of firearms and firearms/ammunition components unlawful which they are not under the current law.

No opposition member contributed to the debate with complete silence emanating from their ranks during the minister’s presentation. The only other MP to contribute was his colleague Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett.

On a call for a vote on the second reading of the bill the opposition members delivered a resounding no and a division of the vote revealed 32 members against with 28 in favour of it being read.

The AFC had indicated recently that they would be selective in their support for business appearing in the minister’s name while the APNU declared that it would not support any.

Reacting during a break in the sitting Government Chief Whip Gail Teixeira dubbed the opposition’s move childish.

“The rejection flies in the face of all decent-minded people who say they are opposed to crime and want to live in a safe environment. If it is that they opposed merely because the minister was the person opposed to this is the height of puerile, childish, little boy behaviour in a playground as far as I’m concerned,” she declared.

She added that the priority to reduce crime should be foremost and should enjoy national support. A bill voted down cannot be reintroduced until the next parliament. Parliaments are established after the holding of general elections.

Teixeira said they would have to look at the options available to them.

Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition David Granger said their action was consistent with the position they had made public ever since and would be blocking the minister on every issue brought in his name.

“We’re not cherry-picking issues, we’ve taken a position that Mr. Rohee is not the fit and proper person to be responsible for public security in this country.

Asked about the signal their move sends to Guyana’s international and regional partners Granger told DemWaves that the message they want to send is that the minister should be removed.

“Things are not getting better under Mr. Rohee, why should we support him?”

Rohee for his part told reporters the opposition’s action was expected given their public pronouncements and declared that he would not be “cowed.”

“If they think this is a defeat for me it’s a victory for the government because they will now have to explain why they would be voting against a bill that is aimed at stemming the flow of firearms into Guyana as a whole or component,” the minister stated.

According to him, the message being sent now seemed to be that “we don’t mind firearms entering Guyana.” The minister said he would not stand aside and let people believe that the opposition had “gotten one over me.”

When it was pointed out that the people would have to deal with the fruits of the two sides intractable positions the minister stated that the people were not suffering because he failed to do his work.

“I’m doing my work, the opposition is doing their work too so who is right? The people will have to judge that when we go to elections. I believe that we are on the winning side,” Rohee stated.

Responding to Granger’s comment to the media that it was more dangerous to have him (Rohee) in place than to support the bill the minister said no one should be scared by Granger’s remark.

“Who is the opposition to say who’s dangerous, I believe he’s more dangerous than anybody else in Guyana right now … because he is blocking a bill which is aimed at stemming the flow of firearms into Guyana.”

The furor surrounding the minister’s presence in the House started last July following the killing of three protesters in Linden reportedly by the police. The opposition brought a no confidence motion against him to have the president remove him but that was non-binding. They subsequently brought a motion to bar him from speaking but Speaker of the House Raphael Trotman recently ruled that it would be unconstitutional to do so. The government had also challenged the motion and a temporary gag imposed by the Speaker in the court.

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AmralSenior Member

Mahen you write a proper headline in the future. One more stunt like that and you are suspended.

3/14/139:18 PM

Former Member

Most radio, TV frequencies in the hands of govt, associates

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Written by Demerara Waves

Thursday, 14 March 2013 19:53

(CAPITOL NEWS).-The Guyana Government has virtually admitted that it has copped the Frequency Spectrum in the country for itself and a few others including a company that printed the Mirror.

The Prime Minister Sam Hinds in a written response to questions raised by AFC MP Cathy Hughes has admitted that only in the last ten years were frequency assignments more reflective of what transpired in that period.

The response by the Prime Minister illustrates a haphazard approach to the development of the electromagnetic spectrum over the years. The prime minister’s response did not indicate a clear plan for investors (other than for the State itself and a few others) in radio, television and cable services to grow and develop throughout the length and breadth of Guyana.

The Response in the National Assembly revealed that for Radio Broadcasting, the State has arrogated to itself some five frequencies with just the main transmitter being in Georgetown. All the transmitters have not been established or installed as yet according to the Government. This could mean that the State has identified frequencies in such a way that broadcasts on the FM band could blanket the coast and hinterland of Guyana.

Based on the information provided to the National Assembly, Radio Guyana Inc owned by Dr. ‘Bobby’ Ramroop has been assigned five frequencies too and another company whose director is an in-law of a Member of Parliament from the PPP benches has another five. Another PPP official Dharam Kumar Seeraj on behalf of the New Guyana Co. of the Mirror Newspaper fame has another five.

While some have five renowned Guyanese Eddie Grant’s brother Rudy Grant has only been assigned one frequency in Georgetown. Hits and Jams Company and five other entities have one frequency each. Hits and Jams will launch its radio station at the weekend. Of the six with one frequency two are from outside of Georgetown.

On the issue of television the Prime Minister has revealed that only one frequency is available in the VHF band and about five in the UHF band. This by the way does not take into account any applications submitted to or that are being processed by the Guyana National Broadcasting authority. If the Prime Minister’s response is comprehensive then it does not explain whether the Government has any plans for the development of the spectrum in the country other than for the State itself and a few entities.

The controversial use of frequency space for over 18 plus hours of China Central TV (CCTV) daily on NCN has been explained to the National Assembly by the Prime Minister. But the Prime Minister’s explanation has made the situation surrounding the frequency use even murkier.

The Prime Minister now claims that it was Guyana that sought to widen the range of programs from foreign companies by asking CCTV to provide its service for an extended period. The Prime Minister did not explain why it was necessary to use an entire new frequency for CCTV when the Chinese were already broadcasting two or more hours daily on NCN channel 11 at the time of the new agreement.

The CCTV arrangement has been criticized because Guyanese and other CARICOM Nationals were not given that kind of access and the community of Linden was not allowed to retrieve its transmitter and frequency to restart broadcasting in that community. The arrangement was also criticized for the less than transparent manner in which it was made.

The Prime Minister admitted too that NCN is not managing anything at the CCTV facilities and is not collecting any fees for doing anything. NCN is using Channel 27 to relay the CCTV signals and that frequency was specifically assigned to it to broadcast content from CCTV. The Government had previously indicated that it was managing the facility.

The Prime Minister was forced to report to the National Assembly following questions raised by an opposition MP.

3/14/139:37 PM