Rowdy, placard-bearing opposition disrupts opening of Parliament 

Nov 03, 2017 News, https://www.kaieteurnewsonline...ening-of-parliament/

…as President delivers address promising Petroleum Bill, other important legislation

By Gordon French

President David Granger laid out Government’s legislative agenda for the next year during an address at the National Assembly which was disrupted at times by deafening chants from the opposition People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) members who waved placards inside the chambers at the opening of the 71st sitting yesterday.

Before the sitting started, a crowd of about 200 PPP/C protesters, barricaded across from the Parliament Building, greeted President Granger and Government Members of Parliament (MPs) as they drove into the compound.

It was anticipated that the PPP/C would have walked out of the chambers once the President started his speech. Instead, their MPs took the surprise decision to sit through the address and launch their sit-in protest.

For the most part, President Granger appeared unfazed, although at times his speech was drowned out by the heckling inside the chambers, where members of the diplomatic corps and other specially invited guests were in attendance.

The President told the Parliament that Government will pursue a vigorous legislative agenda for the remainder of this year and into 2018.

According to President Granger, the focus of the agenda will be mainly on six principal areas. He said Government will seek to finalise Bills which have already been introduced into the National Assembly, including the Cybercrime Bill 2016; Food Safety Bill 2016; Civil Aviation Bill 2017; Constitutional Reform Consultative Commission Bill 2017; Petroleum Commission of Guyana Bill 2017 and the Animal Welfare Bill 2016.

The Government, the President stated, will focus on anti-corruption legislation and plans to introduce the Protected Disclosures Bill 2017, which is intended to combat corruption and other wrongdoing by encouraging and facilitating disclosures of improper conduct in the public and private sectors.

He said Government will also amend the Integrity Commission Act to ensure the independence of the Integrity Commission.

President Granger noted that Government is aiming at modernizing and updating existing legislation to align it with international best practices.

“The National Assembly will be asked to approve legislation to modernize our defamation laws to include…defamation via online/internet sources of communication,” President Granger stated.

There are also plans for the introduction of the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (Amendment) Bill and a Solid Waste Management Bill. Government is expected to update the outdated Antibiotics Act of 1951 to cover both medical and non-medical use of antibiotics. The Nurses and Midwifery Bill, according to President Granger, will replace the archaic Nurses and Midwifery Ordinance of 1951. The Pharmacy and Poisons Ordinance will be repealed and the functions and licensing of Pharmacies will be incorporated into the Food and Drug Acts.

Other Bills include the Health Information Systems Bill, a Health Promotion and Protection Bill, Witness Protection Bill, Juvenile Justice Bill 2017, Guyana Prison Service (Amendment) Bill, the Petroleum (Exploration and Production) Bill, the Mining (Amendment) Bill and Guyana Gold Board (Amendment) Bill.

The President promised work towards enhancing the business environment through the Electronic Single Window System, E-Commerce Bill and the Electronic Communications and Transactions Bill, and amendments to the Small Business Act, which will allow for small businesses to benefit from all types of government contracts.

On the international side, Government plans to pass the CARICOM Draft Model Consumer Protection Bill and enact legislation to treat with refugees due to the Guyana’s accession to the 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, including its protocol of 1967.

“Your Government, also, will be promulgating legislation to prevent the trafficking in weapons of mass destruction and to fulfill our obligations under international trade agreements, including those between Cariforum and the European Union,” President Granger stated.

Y’ALL TIRED NAH?

The PPP/C supporters outside of Parliament clashed briefly with a small band of Government’s counter supporters and had to be separated by police.

Inside the Parliament Chambers, the PPP/C MPs shouted slogans such as ‘no more rigging’, ‘pay teachers more’, ‘jobs for youth’, respect Amerindian rights’, and ‘boom out’.

On at least two separate occasions when the heckling had subdued, President Granger, sipped water from a glass and asked, ‘y’all tired nah?’. His question stirred the PPP/C MPs who started shouting back slogans.

Slogans were mostly directed towards the appointment of retired Justice James Patterson as Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).

The PPP/C placards, some of them with misspelt words, focused on numerous topics. ‘Case solved…1973 rigging,’ one placard emphasized. Others stated, ‘Granger can’t be trusted’, ‘lies and more lies’ and ‘sugar workers starving while Ministers partying’.

Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo maintained that the expectation of the President’s speech was another ‘good life speech’ and ‘opening up the interior’.

“He has not dealt with any of the major issues affecting Guyanese – the crime and how he will tackle the increase in crime; how he will tackle the increased loss of jobs in our economy; how he would tackle investments, in fact he said we are attracting more investments now, when the reality is very different,” Jagdeo stated.

The Opposition Leader noted that the President even talks about projects that were started under the PPP, pointing out to Granger’s alluding to Government completing the four-lane road on the East Bank.

“Does he not have anything original or relevant to say? Then we got a lecture about the rule of law and good governance, when, effectively, what he has been doing is undermining the rule of law by acting unconstitutionally.”

The PPP/C had walked out in the past and not listened to the President’s address, however Jagdeo explained that the unilateral appointment of the GECOM Chair deserved a different response.

“We had to be here actively protesting the breach of the Constitution and the (undermining of) the rule of law. Therefore, that is why we took this action – to highlight, not only to Guyana, but to the international community that was here, about how seriously we, and the country, view this matter!” Jagdeo asserted emphatically.

By the time the President had concluded his address, the PPP/C protesters outside Parliament had departed, and a small group of Government supporters took up the position behind the barricade.

On leaving the Parliament compound, the president’s official car slowed as it passed the supporters and he waved – the back glass rolled down and his hand outstretched.

President David Granger addresses the opening of the 71st Parliament yesterday

A senior police officer tries to separate PPP/C and APNU+AFC supporters outside Parliament yesterday

Rowdy, placard-bearing opposition disrupts opening of Parliament 

Nov 03, 2017 News, https://www.kaieteurnewsonline...ening-of-parliament/

By Gordon French

The PPP/C had walked out in the past and not listened to the President’s address, however Jagdeo explained that the unilateral appointment of the GECOM Chair deserved a different response.

“We had to be here actively protesting the breach of the Constitution and the (undermining of) the rule of law. Therefore, that is why we took this action – to highlight, not only to Guyana, but to the international community that was here, about how seriously we, and the country, view this matter!” Jagdeo asserted emphatically.

Note.

Demerara_Guy posted:

Rowdy, placard-bearing opposition disrupts opening of Parliament 

Nov 03, 2017 News, https://www.kaieteurnewsonline...ening-of-parliament/

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo holds a placard with the word dividing misspelt.

[[Quote]]

President David Granger laid out Government’s legislative agenda for the next year during an address at the National Assembly which was disrupted at times by deafening chants from the opposition People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) members who waved placards inside the chambers at the opening of the 71st sitting yesterday.

Before the sitting started, a crowd of about 200 PPP/C protesters, barricaded across from the Parliament Building, greeted President Granger and Government Members of Parliament (MPs) as they drove into the compound.

[[Unquote]]

Is this meant as a joke? Or was this a printer error?

VishMahabir posted:

Demerara_Guy posted:

Rowdy, placard-bearing opposition disrupts opening of Parliament 

Nov 03, 2017 News, https://www.kaieteurnewsonline...ening-of-parliament/

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo holds a placard with the word dividing misspelt.

[[Quote]]

President David Granger laid out Government’s legislative agenda for the next year during an address at the National Assembly which was disrupted at times by deafening chants from the opposition People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) members who waved placards inside the chambers at the opening of the 71st sitting yesterday.

Before the sitting started, a crowd of about 200 PPP/C protesters, barricaded across from the Parliament Building, greeted President Granger and Government Members of Parliament (MPs) as they drove into the compound.

[[Unquote]]

Is this meant as a joke? Or was this a printer error?

That is how jackass Granger spell dividing. So Jaggy humor him. 

VishMahabir posted:

Demerara_Guy posted:

Rowdy, placard-bearing opposition disrupts opening of Parliament 

Nov 03, 2017 News, https://www.kaieteurnewsonline...ening-of-parliament/

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo holds a placard with the word dividing misspelt.

[[Quote]]

President David Granger laid out Government’s legislative agenda for the next year during an address at the National Assembly which was disrupted at times by deafening chants from the opposition People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) members who waved placards inside the chambers at the opening of the 71st sitting yesterday.

Before the sitting started, a crowd of about 200 PPP/C protesters, barricaded across from the Parliament Building, greeted President Granger and Government Members of Parliament (MPs) as they drove into the compound.

[[Unquote]]

Is this meant as a joke? Or was this a printer error?

No Knucklehead, it is highly unlikely that a printer would change an "I" into an "E". It's quite obvious that one of Jagdeo's lackeys didn't know how to spell and he was too dumb to tell the difference.

Guyana is a jokey country.  

AFC agents infiltrated the protest and planted that placard with the misspelling.

Billy Ram Balgobin posted:

AFC agents infiltrated the protest and planted that placard with the misspelling.

LOL

Suh the AFC set up Jagdeo.

Mars posted:

VishMahabir posted:

Demerara_Guy posted:

Rowdy, placard-bearing opposition disrupts opening of Parliament 

Nov 03, 2017 News, https://www.kaieteurnewsonline...ening-of-parliament/

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo holds a placard with the word dividing misspelt.

[[Quote]]

President David Granger laid out Government’s legislative agenda for the next year during an address at the National Assembly which was disrupted at times by deafening chants from the opposition People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) members who waved placards inside the chambers at the opening of the 71st sitting yesterday.

Before the sitting started, a crowd of about 200 PPP/C protesters, barricaded across from the Parliament Building, greeted President Granger and Government Members of Parliament (MPs) as they drove into the compound.

[[Unquote]]

Is this meant as a joke? Or was this a printer error?

No Knucklehead, it is highly unlikely that a printer would change an "I" into an "E". It's quite obvious that one of Jagdeo's lackeys didn't know how to spell and he was too dumb to tell the difference.

KN photoshopped. They have done this in the past. 

Drugb posted:

Mars posted:

VishMahabir posted:

Demerara_Guy posted:

Rowdy, placard-bearing opposition disrupts opening of Parliament 

Nov 03, 2017 News, https://www.kaieteurnewsonline...ening-of-parliament/

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo holds a placard with the word dividing misspelt.

[[Quote]]

President David Granger laid out Government’s legislative agenda for the next year during an address at the National Assembly which was disrupted at times by deafening chants from the opposition People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) members who waved placards inside the chambers at the opening of the 71st sitting yesterday.

Before the sitting started, a crowd of about 200 PPP/C protesters, barricaded across from the Parliament Building, greeted President Granger and Government Members of Parliament (MPs) as they drove into the compound.

[[Unquote]]

Is this meant as a joke? Or was this a printer error?

No Knucklehead, it is highly unlikely that a printer would change an "I" into an "E". It's quite obvious that one of Jagdeo's lackeys didn't know how to spell and he was too dumb to tell the difference.

KN photoshopped. They have done this in the past. 

That photo was getting around long before KN went to press. Nice try.

Yeah Baby!! Go PPP. Give the BASTARDS a TASTE of their own medicine. Those DUNCES and NAMAKARAM!!!

Jagdeo is the GREATEST Caribbean Leader ever lived.

Billy Ram Balgobin posted:

AFC agents infiltrated the protest and planted that placard with the misspelling.

The only thing fake is the doctor. 

Nehru posted:

Jagdeo is the GREATEST Caribbean Leader ever lived.

must be a very low bar seeing he cannot spell...maybe he shoulda given the job to one of those students who got 30 subjects