Speaker of the National Assembly Manzoor Nadir today warned of consequences for those Members of Parliament who wreaked havoc within the National Assembly on Wednesday during the consideration of the Natural Resource Fund (NRF) Bill.
While mentioning the possibility of suspension, the House Speaker said he has not yet made a decision about what actions will be taken against guilty parliamentarians.
Chaos erupted in the National Assembly the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Opposition began disrupting the proceedings after the NRF Bill was brought up for debate.
The Opposition’s behaviour, which was described as “disruptive” and “thuggish” by Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh, escalated into a commotion at the Speaker’s table when coalition Member of Parliament (MP), Annette Ferguson snatched the Parliament Mace that was on the Speaker’s desk.
“I condemn the behaviour of the…Opposition Members of Parliament yesterday, total disrespect for the Institution and the Speaker,” Nadir expressed.
“One Member of Parliament grabbed the mace out of its place. The standing orders are very, very clear with respect to the process in enforcing penalties against members of parliament for gross misconduct…there are a number of remedies that we could consider,” he affirmed.
In addition to the stealing of the mace, the House Speaker revealed that a parliamentarian entered the control room at the venue – the Arthur Chung Conference Centre – and ripped out connections for internet and microphones, causing the live feed and virtual connections to be disrupted.
Meanwhile, Nadir made it clear that, contrary to claims that are being made, the NRF Bill was “lawfully” and “legally” passed in the National Assembly.
He explained that to ensure the business of Parliament is lawful and legal, two main ingredients must be present: a quorum and the mace which is the authority of Parliament.
A look at the live broadcast of when the voting took place, posted in the social media pages of the Guyana Parliament, shows the House Speaker holding down the mace after it was returned following the APNU+AFC’s disruptions. This occurred at around 20:23hrs.
The Guyana Government has already issued a statement making it clear that, “the mace was also in place at the time when the question was put to the House and the vote taken.”
Going forward, Nadir expressed that Guyana should not behave in an “uncivilized” manner.
Moreover, the House Speaker expressed gratitude to the staff of Parliament who “defended the sanctity” of the National Assembly despite the “taunts” and “racial slurs” that were hurled against them.
Ian MacPherson was named as the person who secured the mace after the Opposition Members seized it.
