MPs can be paid via bank or cash – National Assembly Clerk

Clerk of the National Assembly Sherlock Isaacs has explained that Members of Parliament (MPs) can be paid either via the bank or in cash.

His clarification comes on the heels of local banks shutting down the accounts of several candidates associated with the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) political party, led by United States-sanctioned businessman Azruddin Mohamed, which has since won 16 seats in the National Assembly at the recent polls.

“We pay by bank and we can pay by cash…The person would be asked to submit his or her bank account to me. If I’m told that the persons don’t have bank accounts, I’ll then pay them in cash. It would be their problem to get their money into the bank,” Isaacs noted.

With its 16 seats, WIN is poised to become the main parliamentary opposition and Mohamed, the Opposition Leader.

According to the National Assembly Clerk, the Opposition Leader is elected by the opposition parliamentarians.

“There would be a separate meeting, maybe the first or if convenient, or the second sitting of the National Assembly, we would convene, I would convene a meeting chaired by the Speaker, of all opposition members only and he would ask to nominate a person or persons to be the Leader of the Opposition. If there’s more than one person, we have the vote again, but only opposition members would be invited to that meeting which would be chaired by the Honourable Speaker,” the National Assembly Clerk explained.

Among the most recognisable names on the proposed parliamentary slate for WIN are former APNU-AFC ministers and MPs: Dawn Hastings-Williams, ex-Minister of State and a respected Indigenous leader from Region Seven; Tabitha Sarabo-Halley, once Minister of Public Service; Natasha Singh-Lewis, another APNU defector who adds parliamentary experience to WIN’s bench; and Duarte Hetsberger, who was the personal assistant to former Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield.

It is publicly known that at least Singh-Lewis’ and Hetsberger’s accounts have been closed by their banks in keeping with regulations of the international financial sector as it relates to sanctioned individuals.

Isaacs confirmed that he has received the names of all 65 Members of Parliament (MPs) to be appointed. The parties to be represented in the National Assembly are the ruling Peoples Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) with 36 seats, WIN with 16, the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) with 12, and Forward Guyana Movement (FGM) with 1.

“Only yesterday, I received the letter from the Chief Elections Officer declaring 65 persons to be members of the National Assembly…I’m now awaiting the proclamation of His Excellency The President appointing a time, date and place for the first sitting of the National Assembly, when the members would take the oath and the Speaker would be elected. Apart from that, there are a lot of clerical work to be done, preparation of registers, letters to the Accountant General for the members to be paid their salaries and allowances…,” the National Assembly Clerk highlighted.

“We’re just waiting on the proclamation of His Excellency. According to the standing orders, the first business of the new Parliament would be the election of the Speaker. So, I would conduct the election of the Speaker, the normal thing, I’ll ask persons to nominate someone or they may nominate two or three persons, then I’ll have an election. So, the persons with the highest vote would become the Speaker and the person would take the chair and do the election of the Deputy Speaker, then the other members,” he added.