Dear Editor,
We have witnessed five days of debate on Budget 2023. Parliament was alive with debate as Government as well as Opposition made their contributions. It was a time of learning for most of us, as we were educated by all the speakers on the Government side on matters of prudent fiscal management, something the Guyanese public was longing for.
However, when it was time for the Opposition to make its presentation, things changed for the worst, one negativity after another was highlighted. The main thrust of each presenter was to outdo the other with this empty rhetoric of terms that had no relevance to the topic being discussed. And so it was, a horrible lesson in what they would call economics, and not much else.
But while one would have thought that we were at the end of this madness of double talking, we were sadly mistaken, as there was more to come. Next came the loud heckling from Opposition quarters, they heckled at every and everything. It was an unbearable cacophonous sound for which the listener would be at a loss as to the depths Parliament has sunken. We were witnessing a subdued rehash of last December’s assault on parliamentary democracy.
They might want to go away with the thought that they were an effective Opposition, with that unbridled lawlessness, but from the vantage point, that backwardness is unforgivable. It also tells you that this vulgar display means that they will always be in a permanent state of Opposition for the foreseeable future. Guyana is watching, the world is watching, and the people of this great nation would not countenance such backward people to rule over them again.
Some may opine that Speaker Manzoor Nadir was too lenient but I am of another opinion, let them talk their talk and extol, it is summed up in the Merrymen’s song “Enjoy Yourself It’s Later Than You Think.” That foolishness would not be seen in the next Parliament because the people of Guyana know how to put vulgar people to their places and that is at election time they will deliver.
Finally, as the Deputy Speaker is about to demit office as a way of advice, I would like the Government to select a Deputy Speaker from one of the smaller parties in Parliament.
Respectfully,
Neil Adams