President promises to move to elections mode
– should talks during ‘prorogation’ period fail
— causes major upset in Opposition camp with suspended sitting
By Vanessa Narine, November 11, 2014, Source - Guyana Chronicle
PARLIAMENT was yesterday prorogued by President Donald Ramotar, which essentially means that sittings of the 65-member National Assembly, under the 10th Parliament, are suspended for up to a maximum of six months, via a Proclamation that was Gazetted, as required by law.
And in an address to the nation, the Head of State made it clear that the move was to allow for talks in the interest of the Guyanese people.
However, should this course of action fail, Mr. Ramotar was clear in stating that there will be a move to early general elections.
“I have taken this step with the hope that the time gained would be used for the benefit our people… Were these entreaties of cooperation by my government to be unsuccessful, I would then take the necessary steps for the holding of early General Elections so that the democratic will of our people can be freely exercised,” he said.
On that score, Mr. Ramotar has appealed for “political maturity, and the exercise of good judgment” from all stakeholders in the political arena, to put Guyana and Guyanese first.
CAUSE FOR UPSET
Meanwhile, in the Opposition camp, the President’s announcement has triggered major upset.
APNU Leader Brigadier (rtd) David Granger, in a public statement, contends that Mr. Ramotar’s move “has effectively paralysed” the parliamentary process.
He said, “President Ramotar has now single-handedly engineered a constitutional crisis…it is an affront to the Guyanese people.
“…APNU will not accept this denial of democracy and will not be intimidated by the PPP/C’s dictatorial behaviour.
“APNU is resolved to resist the President’s ‘Proclamation’. APNU calls on all the good people of Guyana everywhere to join in a civil movement for the restoration of parliamentary democracy by peacefully resisting the PPP/C’s resort to dictatorship and to call for the revocation of this ‘Proclamation’.”
The AFC Leader, Mr. Khemraj Ramjattan, expressed similar sentiments, adding that the proroguing of the National Assembly has left the combined Opposition more unified in its bid to ensure that the current administration is “displaced.”
“They dislodged a constitutional process (the moving of a no-confidence motion)…what we are being led into could be terrible,” he said, stressing that his party has the interest of the country at heart.
Also, the Speaker of the National Assembly, Raphael Trotman, also an AFC Executive, was emphatic in stating that the President was “wrong in his decision to prorogue the National Assembly. “Yes it was a bad decision,” he said, in an invited comment.
According to him, there needs to be a fresh look at Guyana’s Constitution. “We need to relook our entire Constitution, because things they thought they wouldn’t be looking at and using are being used at the moment and not for the right reason.”
Attorney-General (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, meanwhile, has defended the legality of the President’s actions.
In a televised programme yesterday, he stated that the President’s decision is neither “unconstitutional” nor is it “undemocratic” – as it is provided for in the laws of Guyana.
“It presents an opportunity for leaders to come together and actually work together. The nation will see how they take this ‘glorious opportunity’ to move our country forward,” Nandlall said.
Section 70 (1) of the Constitution states that: “The President may, at any time, by proclamation, prorogue Parliament.”
Source - http://guyanachronicle.com/pre...e-to-elections-mode/
