Dear Editor,
The Parliament of this nation is a most sacrosanct, constitutional creation, which houses our nation’s legislative branch of Government. The nature of its work and its constitutional role under the doctrine of Separation of Powers, mandate that it must not be contaminated by petty party politics neither should its facilities be used to accommodate the activities of political parties.
Against this backdrop, we must condemn in the strongest terms, the use of Parliament Building and the hallowed halls of the Chambers of the National Assembly to host an event, which, from all indications was a People’s National Congress (PNC) activity, where a grouping calling themselves “Patriots”, gathered in the National Assembly, seating themselves in its chairs, where the Chairman of the PNC, Basil Williams, addressed them about the importance of Parliament. Alarmingly, the news report says the Clerk of the National Assembly facilitated this exercise and the Clerk and staff of the National Assembly made presentations, as well.
It is public knowledge that the Chairman of the PNC may be incapable of appreciating the transgressions, which he committed. However, I wish to register my deep dismay that the Speaker would permit such a pantomime to take place in the sacred halls of the National Assembly and that the Clerk has allowed himself to be used in the process. These officers are responsible for the preservation of the sanctity of our Parliament. Or is it that they have now become full-fledged creatures of the PNC.
Is it that party paramountcy is now fully with us and that we should next expect that the Chairman of the PNC will soon take another party group, ensconced them in the Court of Appeal of Guyana and then lecture them on how the Judiciary works?
Sincerely,
Anil Nandlall, MP
