Speaker of Guyana’s National Assembly, Manzoor Nadir has been selected as Vice Chairman of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) which combines 180 Parliaments from all over the world.
At the same time, Venezuela remains suspended from the union over the illegitimacy of their two Parliaments.
Nadir was elected as the Vice Chairman of the IPU’s Group of Latin America and the Caribbean (GRULAC), the geo-political group bringing together the Parliaments of 26 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). He will serve along with the Deputy of the Mexican Congress, Sofia Carvajal Isunza, who was elected Chair of the IPU’s GRULAC.
During the session which was held in Luanda, Angola, Nadir opened the general debate of the IPU by drawing the attention of the attendees to Venezuela’s threats against Guyana. According to Nadir, while the IPU is being held under the theme of “Parliamentary Action for Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions”, more and more hotspots for potential conflict are emerging, including Venezuela’s border controversy with Guyana.
An invitation was meanwhile extended to both the IPU Chairman Isunza and to President of the IPU Tulia Ackson, whose candidature Guyana supported, to visit Guyana. Meanwhile, Guyana also received praise from Bahamian representative Pia Glover-Rolle. With Bahamas being accepted as a member of the IPU this year, Glover-Rolle revealed that Guyana was instrumental in helping them with their membership.
Meanwhile, it was also revealed during the 147th IPU Assembly that Venezuela’s suspension from the union remains in place. According to Secretary General of the IPU, Martin Chungong, Venezuela remains suspended “as there remain questions concerning the legitimacy and recognition of the two competing Parliaments in Venezuela.”
Back in 2017, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro created a parallel law-making Assembly packed with his supporters, to bypass the combined Opposition-led National Assembly of Venezuela… a move that was widely criticised in Venezuela and internationally, as unconstitutional.
Over the past few years, IPU has routinely expressed alarm over the way the Venezuelan ruling party has been treating its Opposition parliamentarians. In 2018, IPU had cause to urge Venezuela to immediately stop its harassment of and attacks against Opposition parliamentarians.
IPU has tracked and documented a number of alleged human rights violations against hundreds of Venezuelan Opposition parliamentarians, including torture, ill treatment, threats and acts of intimidation, arbitrary arrest and detention and violations to their right to privacy.
At present, a national referendum is scheduled for December 3, 2023, by the National Electoral Council, seeking the approval of the Venezuelan people to create a new Venezuelan State out of Guyana’s Essequibo region – which the Guyana Government has already lambasted as “brazen” and “pernicious”.
“In particular, question three of the set of questions to be placed before the people of Venezuela speaks to the “historical position” of Venezuela “of not recognising the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice to resolve the territorial controversy…,” a statement from the Guyana Government had said.
“Question five seeks the approval of the Venezuelan people for the creation of a new Venezuelan State consisting of Guyana’s Essequibo Region, to include “the granting of citizenship and Venezuelan identity card in accordance with the Geneva Agreement and international law.” This is a deliberate misinterpretation of the Geneva Agreement and a clear violation of international law.”
The Inter-Parliamentary Union, which was established in 1889, is now an organisation of 180 Parliaments. Guyana was represented at this IPU Assembly by Speaker Manzoor Nadir, Attorney General Anil Nandlall, SC, and Opposition Member of Parliament Dawn Hastings-Williams, who are all members of the General Council of the IPU. Also attending were Clerk of the National Assembly, Sherlock Isaacs and International Affairs Coordinator Carletta Charles.
While addressing the 147th IPU General Assembly, Attorney General Nandlall had called on the IPU to condemn Venezuela’s aggressions. According to him, Venezuela perseveres with its illegal conduct despite the fact that the border controversy is pending between the two States at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) upon the direction of the United Nations (UN) Secretary General.
