Parliament is the epitome of utter slackness and a waste of taxpayers’ money

Dear Editor,
Parliament is about to resume its functions and once again the PPP,  led by its Chief Whip Gail Teixeira, will dominate the chamber. Over the years, we have been constant advocates for Parliamentary reform in order to make room for more effective representation of the people’s interest. We are convinced that without Parliament, our democracy will stagnate in shallowness and staleness. But we do not want Parliament to be a rubber stamp or a tool of the PPP as it was during the Jagdeo period.
We want a Parliament that will improve its effectiveness to deal more efficiently and meritoriously with the nation’s business.  We want a Parliament with the power, authority and resources to investigate any whiff of malfeasance and recommend criminal investigations into possible misconduct or alleged fraudulent/corrupt practices. We want a Parliament that would protect the people’s interests, stop corruption and prevent the reckless and lawless PPP regime from wasting the taxpayers’ money.  But to date, Parliament done none of the above; it has rarely represented the real interest of the people in the decision-making process.
It is the responsibility of Parliament to effectively supervise all expenditure in the various ministries and State enterprises to ensure transparency, accountability and lack of corruption. Despite the unruly behavior by some PPP MPs in Parliament, the people ought to know that the Government is constitutionally obligated to conduct negotiations with the Parliament on the annual budget, national policies and the enactment of legislation.
So it is time for the immature minority PPP regime to cease and desist from its antiquated ritual of useless debates, its hollow posturing and grandstanding. But for the last three years, the minority PPP regime has always had its way in Parliament so much so that the President has not even assented to Bills introduced by the majority opposition and passed by Parliament.  Clearly he has shown total contempt for Parliament and the opposition has not done anything about it.
With all the thievery and corruption that have taken place over the last twelve years under the Jagdeo/Ramotar regime, Guyana is in dire need of a Parliament of full-time parliamentarians to constitute a body with the power, resources and authority to be a fierce watchdog on Government spending, corruption, and other infractions; a Parliament anchored in the genuine separation of powers that gives it dynamism, independence and creativity; a parliament that must be respected by the PPP regime; a parliament that is liberated from the dominance of  the PPP minority government. In other words, Guyana needs a Parliament that must become the “House of the People” and not a PPP Parliament.
Our current Parliament is the biggest farce in the land due largely to the PPP rigidity. It is a fake. All the posturing, play acting, ritualistic debates and particularly budget cutting by the opposition did not faze or deter the PPP regime, especially the Minister of Finance from spending the taxpayers’ money that was not approved.
So who are the MPs fooling? If nothing else, they were earning their keep over extended sessions and eating lavishly the expensive meals at the taxpayers’ expense. Put bluntly, except for the sumptuous pricey meals, Parliamentary sessions and budget debates are exercises in futility. Guyana’s Parliament is like a tiger without teeth. It has not done anything to sanction Ashni Singh from spending $4.5 billion of the taxpayer’s money that was not approved by Parliament.
In any country, if a minority government wants to avoid a no confidence motion, it must negotiate with the majority opposition parties several weeks before the budget is presented to Parliament; not after. That way, there would be give and take, negotiation and collaboration, bringing the people into the process as their representatives make inputs on their behalf in the annual allocation of national resources. Instead, every year the people are treated to another ridiculous and elaborate sham by the PPP regime.
Then comes the Auditor General’s reports that point to atrocious waste, massive corruption, gross mismanagement and lack of accountability in public expenditure. The tragedy is that the PPP cabal actually believed they are doing serious work on behalf of the people in Parliament. Not true! Parliament is the epitome of utter slackness and a waste of the taxpayers’ money.
So the entire nation is left in confusion with no limit on spending of the taxpayers’ money by the indiscipline PPP predators and with a parliament that can do nothing about the massive waste, gross mismanagement and thievery that we have had for the past 12 years and counting in this country under the new dispensation.
 Asquith Rose and Harish Singh.