Legal advice on the no-confidence motions against Opposition Leader Joseph Harmon and two Government Ministers, which was sought by House Speaker Manzoor Nadir from the Legal Affairs Ministry, is likely to be provided by the end of this week.
This was confirmed by Clerk of the National Assembly Sherlock Issacs, in a brief interview with this publication. According to Issacs, he followed up the matter on Monday with Attorney General Anil Nandlall, SC.
“He said he was a bit busy, dealing with other official matters. And I should expect (a response) from him by the end of the week,” Issacs, who had requested the information on behalf of the Speaker, said.
A few weeks ago,, Harmon had filed No Confidence motions against Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony and Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn. In his motions, he had called for their resignations over what he claimed was their poor running of their Ministries.
The Government side, through Prime Minister, Retired Brigadier Mark Phillips, filed a motion against Harmon the very next day.
In the wake of these no-confidence motions, Speaker Nadir had sought legal advice from the AG Chambers earlier this month. Based on this legal advice, Nadir will have the final say on whether the motions will be allowed on the floor of the National Assembly.
At present, the configuration of the National Assembly sees the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) with the parliamentary majority of 33 out of 65 seats. The APNU+AFC, the main Opposition party, has 31 seats, while the Liberty and Justice Party (LJP), in collaboration with two other parties, holds one.
