“Shameful” – PM condemns Opposition’s “unpatriotic” walkout, refusal to support motion reaffirming Guyana’s sovereignty

Prime Minister, Brigadier (Retired) Mark Phillips, today delivered a scathing condemnation of the PNC-led A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU-AFC) Members of Parliament after they walked out of the National Assembly, refusing to support a motion to reaffirm support for Guyana’s sovereignty.

The motion – titled ‘Support for the Government and People of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana Reaffirming the Sovereignty of Guyana over its Internationally Recognized Territory’ – was tabled by Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Hugh Todd this morning.

It sought, among other things, for the National Assembly to unequivocally reaffirms the sovereignty, territorial integrity, independence and indissolubility of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana as well as to express full support for the Government in its efforts to protect and defend Guyana’s territorial integrity through peaceful and lawful means, including continued recourse to the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

The motion comes ahead of Venezuela’s planned elections in the Essequibo region, which is two-thirds of Guyana’s landmass that the Spanish-speaking nation is claiming.

However, Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton, in a subsequent presentation, declared that the Opposition would not support the motion and walked out of the session, followed by the other Opposition Parliamentarians.

As the Opposition MPs got up to leave, chants of “shameful” followed them as they headed out of the Dome of the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC), where Parliamentary sittings are held.

PM Phillips described the Opposition’s action as shameful and unpatriotic.

“We’ve just had a perfect example of a shameful demonstration of patriotism – a most unpatriotic address not to this house only but to the people of Guyana by one who supposedly is remunerated to perform the duties of Leader of the Opposition in this House.”

According to the Prime Minister, a house divided cannot stand – something which he noted the Opposition attempted to do.

“Our people are united on this cause. The only people seem to have a difference and unpatriotic is the Leader of the Opposition, and perhaps those who followed him… The sovereignty of Guyana over its internationally recognised territory is crucial for maintaining peace and stability, not only in Guyana, but in the whole Latin American and Caribbean region. And it is important, Mr. Speaker, for Guyana’s Government and citizens alike to support and uphold this sovereignty to ensure national unity and international respect,” Phillips posited.

He went on to state, “…If the members of the opposition just serve social media, they will see that through the length and breadth of Guyana today, our school children, at nursery, primary and secondary levels, are demonstrating the patriotism that the opposition should have been demonstrating. Our children know better than those who are paid to keep the government on its toes; they’re paid as elected officials to represent the opposition and our children, today, are sending a strong message to those members of the opposition that we know 83,000 square miles belongs to all of us in Guyana, resident in Guyana and in the diaspora. The only people who seem not to know that are not ready to support that are the people who just left this House, walked out to this House.”