Opposition boycotts President’s address to Parliament

Last Updated on Thursday, 10 October 2024, 22:08 by Writer

The opposition A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance For Change boycotted Thursday’s parliamentary sitting to register its discontent with the way the People’s Progressive Party Civic-led administration is running the country.

The gathering, which included several parliamentarians and local government councillors, held placards that read “If Guyana is to grow the PPP must go”, “Cost of living is killing workers; we need a livable wage” “Corruption is robbing our people of resources”, “Oil money not meeting the people” and “Poor people punishing. PPP enjoying nice living” and “We support proper cost of living support to the people now.”

Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton led a picketing demonstration of just over 100 persons outside the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown, where the parliamentary sitting was being held. He listed several reasons for APNU+AFC’s decision not to attend the sitting at which the Head of State and Head of Government announced several multi-billion dollar plans including a GY$200,000 cash grant per household. “Our public demonstration is intended to re-emphasize that Guyana remains in crisis, a crisis in parliamentary democracy, a crisis in local government affairs, a crisis in political relations, a corruption crisis, a transparency and accountability crisis, a law enforcement crisis, and a crisis in terms of the high cost of living and poor quality of life experienced daily by most Guyanese citizens. Amidst oil wealth, a substantial percentage of the Guyanese people live in poverty,” he said.

Among the concerns he referred to were the non-appointment of opposition representatives to state boards, failure to appoint substantively the Chancellor of the Judiciary and the Chief Justice—despite his support for the incumbent office holders—and no meeting of several parliamentary standing committees since the People’s Progressive Party Civic took office in 2020. Among them, he said, was the Committee on National Security despite a rise in crime and despite repeated requests by Shadow Home Affairs Minister, Khemraj Ramjattan. “The government itself is complicit in crime and corruption and therefore does not have the political will to change the situation,” he said. 

President Irfaan Ali, in wrapping up his several hours-long address to the National Assemply, asked the opposition to work with the government in the interest of Guyanese. “I encourage the seats that portray emptiness today to join with us in creating a Guyana in which prosperity for every home must have a meaning, in which development must be accelerated, in which unity, tolerance, togetherness must be a new artform of politics,” he said. 

Another major area of concern for APNU+AFC is the spike in cost of living which Mr Norton said could be addressed by increasing the income tax threshold to GY$150,000 per month for more than 200,000 public sector and private sector workers, increasing local food production, distributing fuel vouchers to reduce the cost of fuel for farm to market transportation, providing two hot meals to students to combat food insecurity, and establishing a subsidised school transportation network.

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo later Thursday poured cold water on Mr Norton’s cheaper gas voucher proposal, saying it would breed corruption such as the sale of those vouchers. Mr Jagdeo preferred all Guyanese fuel consumers to benefit from lower prices at the pump. “It would breed corruption. It’s better you do it across the board; the government not sharing out vouchers because next thing you hear APNU sharing out vouchers,” he said.

“The members of the parliamentary opposition cannot and will not entertain audience with President Ali in the House when his incompetence and the high levels of corruption are a product of PPP bad governance. To do so, would only serve to perpetuate the PPP myth that all is well in the state of Guyana, when clearly it is not,” Mr Norton added.

But President Ali said his administration would not be distracted by noise.

The People’s National Congress-Reform (PNCR) leader has been under pressure from sections of the society to engage in protests against the government, but he has cautioned that such activity can lead to racial tensions fomented by the PPP.