Govt accused of pressuring Parliament Office to revoke motion

Education tax
…PPP warns of Executive attempting to control the Legislature

The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) is contending that political interference from the Executive is responsible for the Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr Barton Scotland, disallowing its motion calling for the 14 per cent Value Added Tax (VAT) on private education to be removed.

The Speaker had, just days prior, approved the motion for debate today, and expectations regarding the outcome of that debate were high, as many persons were anticipating spirited exchanges between the Opposition and two major players in Government, particularly since minority group the Alliance For Change (AFC) had voiced its support for removal of the tax on private education.
Amended and approved by the Speaker of the House, the motion was suddenly withdrawn on grounds which, according to the PPP, are “irregular, spurious and ludicrous.”
“The AFC, desperate to not be exposed for duplicity, having publicly called for the review of VAT on education; and the Government, desperate to impose unity on this issue within the shaky coalition, put pressure on the Parliament Office to remove the PPPC’s motion calling for the revocation of VAT on education, goods and services, and its reinstatement as zero rated,” the PPP posited in a media statement on Saturday.

The PPP has warned that this development exposes the Speaker as complicit in the Executive’s unfolding objective to seize control over the Legislature, and has called upon all stakeholders to continue to speak out against these attempts to whittle away parliamentary democracy, human rights and the Constitution.
The PPP has also lambasted attempts to deny concerned citizens a right to be heard – a trend which it noted has developed significantly under this APNU/AFC Administration.
“Civil society, individuals and communities have been demonstrating peacefully their views on a wide range of concerns that impact on their daily lives – the sugar workers, rice farmers, the private sector, the Movement against the Parking Meters, the Movement against VAT on Education goods and services, the removal of the ban on used tyres, and thousands of individuals in their private capacity on the social media — yet the Government’s only concern is to ensure that the people’s voices are not heard,  even in the highest law making body of the country,” the PPP has stated.
The PPP has also lamented that, after months of weekly protests, a petition signed by 14,000 people, and growing hardships of parents and students as a result of the inhumane and onerous imposition of VAT on education goods and services, the Government has intervened and hammered another nail in Article 13 of the Constitution.
Article 13 of the Constitution of Guyana states: “The principal objective of the political system of the state is to establish an inclusionary democracy by providing increasing opportunities for the participation of citizens and their organisations in the management and decision-making processes of the state, with particular emphasis on those areas of decision-making that directly affect their wellbeing.”

Disallowed
The PPP motion in regard to VAT on private education, which was to be moved by former Education Minister Priya Manickchand, states that the impact of the onerous budgetary measures has caused great consternation and anxiety for parents and students, and jeopardises the future of students’ rights to access education of their choice, inclusive of private education, as provided for in the Constitution.
Regrettably, mere days before the motion was scheduled for debate, the House Speaker has decided that it cannot be proceeded with in the National Assembly.
In a letter dated May 4, Dr Scotland has instructed that the motion, if allowed, would be in contravention of Standing Order No 26(e), which states that for a motion to be admissible, it shall not revive discussion of a matter which has been discussed in the same session.
“I wish to reminded you that the revocation of Order No 18 of 2016 and the reinstatement of Schedules 1 and 11 which existed prior to Order No. 18 were discussed by the National Assembly at its Sitting on 30th January, 2017, during the consideration of Ms Gail Teixeira’s motion which was published on Notice Paper No. 82 of 2017 dated 15th January, 2017. That motion was defeated,” the letter outlined.
The Speaker has determined that the motion, which was already published on Notice Paper No. 95 of 2017, can no longer be proceeded with in the National Assembly.
Director of Nations University, Dr Brian O’Toole – a very vocal player in the movement against the education tax – has expressed disappointment at the decision not to allow a debate on the issue in the National Assembly. In a statement to the media on Friday, the educator pondered if it’s too much to ask for a national debate on the issue.
“Is it impossible to have a simple list printed in the newspaper with a yes or no by the name of each of the MPs whether or not they, as an individual, support the 14 per cent? While we are waiting for the debate in Parliament to eventually take place, is it possible to have a TV debate on the matter, to help inform the public on the key issues?” he has asked.
Disgruntled stakeholders are expected to stage a picketing exercise outside of the Parliament today. (Devina Samaroo)