esterday’s prorogation of Parliament by President Ramotar is a retrograde step. Its primary purpose was to thwart a motion of no-confidence which the AFC was to pilot and which would likely have brought down the government. Prorogation suspends the functioning of one of the three branches of government. It therefore immediately creates democratic dysfunction. It also silences the voice of the representatives of the people.

The enormous powers which the Burnham constitution invested in the executive presidency have always offered attractions for misuse. While in opposition the PPP railed against these powers, President Ramotar has had no difficulty employing them with the sole purpose of preserving the life of his government.

President Ramotar and his leading officials have argued that important business of the 10th Parliament would have suffered if the no-confidence motion had been proceeded with. This is a pathetic excuse. Among the matters cited were the telecoms reform bill and local government elections. Telecoms reform has engaged PPP/C governments for more than a decade without solution. Local government elections have not been held for 20 years and President Ramotar and his government have refused calls over the last two years for these to be called.

In his address to the nation yesterday, the President stated that prorogation would enable constructive engagement with the opposition. Considering that the government was aware of the AFC motion of no- confidence in June of this year and the pledge of APNU support in early August, it frittered away three months for such engagement. Nothing in three years of Ramotar governance has remotely hinted at the possibility of an acceptable compromise with the opposition. It is therefore unclear what can be accomplished at this point.

In the spirit of advancing mature discussion in this troubled democracy, President Ramotar must now work immediately towards an honourable accord with the opposition on local government polls, the illicit spending of monies by the government and the anti-money laundering bill among other areas. This process should take no more than a fortnight and lead to the swift resumption of Parliamentary sittings, whether for a return to “normalcy” as hoped for by the government or for the hearing of the motion of no-confidence. Any prolongation of the suspension of Parliament will pose a dire threat to the democratic underpinnings of society and cannot be countenanced.