‘Contentious’ Parliamentary Sitting for November 7

By Kurt Campbell

[www.inewsguyana.com] – Speaker of The National Assembly Raphael Trotman confirmed that he has received information indicating that Thursday, November 7 will be the next sitting of the National Assembly – the first since the end of the two month recess on October 10th.

“It is expected to be a very contentious sitting” the Speaker told reporters on Thursday October 31.

According to Trotman, issues relating to the four Local Government Bills that were passed since August 7 and are yet to receive Presidential assent along with the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (Amendment) Bill which spent months in a Parliamentary Special Select Committee is expected to be returned to the full house at Thursday’s sitting, at the discontent of the opposition among others will be addressed.

Prior the recess, the Government and Opposition – which holds a one seat majority – had been piloting bills and motions for which they had special interest and had threatened to withhold support if certain demands were not met.

The Alliance for Change (AFC) had said that it will not support the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (Amendment) Bill if the Government did not establish and operationalize the Public Procurement Commission.

However, on Wednesday the Government announced, after unchanging pressure from the AFC that it will move to set up the body even as a November 18 deadline is in place for the passage of the Anti Money Laundering Amendment bill.

The fate of Thursday’s sitting appears to be one that cannot be predicted but according to Speaker Trotman it will be a very contentious one.