Speaker of the National Assembly, Raphael Trotman says that at a Committee of Selection meeting on March 7, there was an agreement that the Parliamentary Management Committee (PMC) would not be among those committees that would be changed to reflect an Opposition majority.

In a comment to Stabroek News yesterday, Trotman pointed out that because of the nature of the PMC and the circumstances leading to its coming into being, this committee was not targeted for change in its composition.  The PMC had arisen from the St Lucia Statement of 1998and was aimed at healing the divisions of the PPP/C and PNC and enabling the latter to return to Parliament.

Raphael Trotman

Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine of the APNU has tabled a motion seeking to change the composition of the PMC so that it reflects the reality of an Opposition majority in the Parliament. Tomorrow this Motion goes straight to the Standing Orders Committee for consideration.

Trotman said that considering the agreement in the March 7 meeting, he was surprised to see the Motion from Dr. Roopnaraine to reconfigure the PMC from five members from each side of the House to five for Opposition and four for Government.

Excerpts from Stabroeknews