…Juan Edghill prevented from asking questions
…Police hit, assault female Opposition MPs
By Samuel Sukhnandan
Just before Parliament was scheduled to go to recess at noon on Monday, chaos erupted in the hallowed chambers after Opposition Member of Parliament (MP) Juan Edghill refused to follow the instruction of the Speaker of the House, Dr Barton Scotland, to stop asking questions and to leave the chambers.
Edghill, who speaks on financial matters, rose to ask the Speaker why no extension was given to scrutinise the estimates and expenditure for the 2018 budget, particularly as it relates to subject matter that was before the House. The Speaker said a time frame was agreed to earlier on, and refused to entertain any more questions.
The speaker reminded the MP that two hours which were allotted had ended, but he allowed additional time. However, when that had ended, he then said it was time to move on, and proceeded to put the question to Parliament to move the passage of the estimates.
At that point, Edghill kept pressing the Speaker to give a better explanation as to his reason for not allowing more time. The Opposition MP was asked to remain seated and allow the House to move on with its work in the Committee of Supplies’ examination of the budget estimates.
However, Edghill refused to adhere to the instruction, and the Speaker later asked for him to be removed from the House. He called for the assistance of the Sergeant of Arms after Edghill again refused to take his leave. When that didn’t work, the Police were called in and the sitting was suspended.
At first, senior police ranks dressed in khaki uniform arrived and proceeded to Edghill. In an effort to stop the Police from removing Edghill, his colleagues in the Opposition surrounded him, forming a barricade; but despite these efforts, a few police constables attempted to force their way in.
Assault on MPs
It was during this attempt to physically remove Edghill that the Police and the Opposition MPs came into direct contact with each other, and a few of those MPs, including former Education and Human Services Minister Priya Manickchand, claiming to have been punched and roughed up by the male police ranks.
There were screams from many of the Opposition MPs, including Manickchand, who had just arrived in Parliament to show solidarity with her party. Manickchand was heard screaming, “You’re hurting me!” and “You’re hurting me! You’re hurting me! Please leave me!!!”
A few minutes later, the Parliament staff attempted to have the local press corps removed from the House, but the media practitioners did not budge. In fact, they stayed throughout the chaos.
Following that episode, a literally shaken Manickchand spoke with the press. In tears, she claimed that she was punched in her stomach and her chest by the male Police constables who were attempting to push their way through the barricade formed by her colleagues around Edghill.
“The Police are supposed to protect us, and if the Police are making an arrest or attempting to make an arrest of someone who has done (nothing wrong) and who is not threatening or is any harm to anybody, then that should not include punching me in my chest and in my belly, and it should not include pushing us into chairs and tables in an attempt to do that. This is the same Police who were unable to determine who Santa was…or who can’t yet hold the Santa or the minister in this House,” a tearful Manickchand said.
Other female MPs claimed that they too were physically assaulted by the male Police ranks that were brought in to remove Edghill.
One of the female backbenchers said she was grabbed and shoved into a table edge by one of the Police ranks, and in that process she was physically hurt.
Amidst all of this chaos, Edghill — who was still seated — told the media that he will not be moved, and he will not be muzzled in Parliament for representing the people of Guyana. The Opposition MP contended that the Police officers were acting on “political instructions,” and that it was against the law to arrest someone from the Chambers. His colleagues also shouted in support of his statement.
“I am being harassed as an elected member of the National Assembly! I stood up to ask a question and I was shut down by the Speaker…I commend my female colleagues for their resilience, steadfastness and tenacity, and solidarity that resisted the illegality that was about to take place in this House! Thumbs up to all the male and female PPP MPs for their support!” the MP stated.
Distract attention
Minutes after the Police had left the chambers, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo arrived and enquired as to what exactly had taken place. Jagdeo was not present for the beginning of the estimates. However, he said Dr Scotland must be held responsible for the turmoil that took place in the National Assembly.
He also called on the Speaker to apologise to the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) parliamentarians, and he called for President David Granger to hold a Commission of Inquiry into this unprecedented event.
“This is not going to go down easy in this country. This is unprecedented, and I think that it is designed to distract attention from the $20 million (ExxonMobil signing bonus) that they tried to steal. This is all carefully worked out. I have seen more grievous breaches in this chamber from the other side that he (the Speaker) refused to act on; and this issue, suddenly the Police are called in,” Jagdeo observed.
No electricity, Wi-Fi, air-condition
However, the chaos did not end there. During the media’s interview with Jagdeo, the electricity, air-conditioning and the Wi-Fi in the chambers were turned off. The Opposition Leader also called for President David Granger to hold a Commission of Inquiry into this unprecedented event.
Despite these moves, however, MP Juan Edghill remained in his seat, and so did his colleagues, who all chanted and sang songs of unity while several members of the Government looked on.
Commander of ‘A’ Division, Marlon Chapman, was also called in, and was seen having a discussion with the former Home Affairs Minister, Opposition MP Clement Rohee, to determine what had transpired and under whose authority he had been empowered to carry out an arrest of an MP within the chambers.
Former Attorney General Anil Nandlall was seen having a discussion with the Clerk of the National Assembly, Sherlock Isaacs, over the Standing Orders and why he (Isaacs) had felt the issued instruction was appropriate.
Nandlall also gave a comment to the media, saying he strongly believes the course of action taken by the Speaker was excessive, given that Edghill was not guilty of gross disorderly conduct. He noted, too, that at no point was the MP violent. The former AG stressed that his colleague, Edghill, was modestly expressing a concern with the limited time allowed to scrunitse the budget estimates.
Late Monday evening, the PPP issued a detailed statement expressing its disappointment with the action taken by the Speaker. That statement said, “Parliamentary democracy descended to its lowest ebb in Guyana.”
The PPP is of the opinion that this is all in an effort to avoid the scrutiny of the National Estimates, in which billions of dollars have been stashed and slush funds concealed.
“The Speaker, in a characteristic conspiracy with the Government, unlawfully shut down Member of Parliament Bishop Edghill from asking questions in relation to billions of dollars hidden in the Ministry of the Presidency’s budget… It is a travesty that the assault and beatings of Opposition Parliamentarians (occurred) in order to prevent scrutiny of the National Estimates, as elected representatives of the people of Guyana, just one day after the world celebrated Human Rights Day and 16 days of activism for the elimination of violence against women,” a statement from the party detailed.
The Party also added that it will not yield to any form of physical threat of physical violence, and commits to the people of Guyana that its members will do whatever it takes to ensure there is transparency and accountability in Government; and will continue to vigorously expose “widespread corruption”, which it claims is rampant in this Government.
