By Fareeza Haniff
[www.inewsguyana.com] – Government believes that the intention of Speaker of the National Assembly, Raphael Trotman to “personally convene” a sitting of the National Assembly is “inconsistent with parliamentary fundamentals.”
This is according to Cabinet Secretary, Dr Roger Luncheon, who told reporters today, Wednesday, October 29 that Cabinet has noted the Speaker’s inconsistent positions as it relates to who is responsible for setting a date for the National Assembly to reconvene.
As such, he revealed that government will make a decision by the end of the week as it relates to setting a date for the sitting.
Trotman wrote Clerk of the National Assembly, Sherlock Isaacs, requesting him to fix a sitting for Thursday, November 6, 2014; explaining that this date will provide for the normal notice period for Members of Parliament to be notified and for arrangements to be made for all to be present.
However, government believes that the Speaker is going against parliamentary “fundamentals” by doing so, reasoning that it is the government that has the power to set a date.
“The Speaker is on record to have adopted different positions when asked to pronounce on the topic of convening Parliament. The Speaker is on record recognizing the government’s unique power to convene. The Speaker, in abandoning those fundamentals indeed had opened itself to significant criticisms about his application about the Parliamentary rules and regulations,” Dr Luncheon said.
Meanwhile, President Donald Ramotar also promised that a sitting will be held in the “near future.” He pointed out that the National Assembly is historically known for reconvening in November.
He told reporters, “They are talking now about the Parliament as if we don’t want to call the Parliament. Well that will go fundamentally against everything that we stand for. And they behave as if this is something strange that the recess is finish in October and the Parliament has not met as yet. For years the Parliament was called in November. There are previous years that you can go to and see historically that the Parliament was called later than they are talking about,” the President said.
He said the government has no interest in delaying the sitting.
Gray is a j ass and everyone knows that pay him no mind
I am shocked and dismayed that this forum would allow one “Gray” to libel the Speaker, Mr. Trotman. Does Gray have proof? Gray should publish the evidence of his statement or shut-up!
emile the good dr giving the buggerer a way out since all he knows iso bugger young bois..be thankful ok
If the Speaker is going against parliamentary fundamentals, let the government cite the Standing Orders to back its so-called ‘fundamentals’.