PSC “appalled”, “disappointed” at APNU/ AFC’s behaviour in National Assembly

As criticisms continue to mount over the APNU/AFC Opposition’s behaviour in the National Assembly on Wednesday, the Private Sector Commission (PSC) has joined in condemning the coalition Members of Parliament for their “childish antics”.

During the debate of the Natural Resource Fund (NRF) Bill in the National Assembly on Wednesday evening, Opposition MPs started protesting in objection to the hearing of the proposed legislations and their actions even escalated to a confrontation between them and Parliament staff after one of the coalition Members snatched the Parliament Mace from in front of the House Speaker.
This was in addition to blowing whistles while walking around in the pit of the Assembly and surrounding Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh as he was making his presentation.
Since then, there has been widespread condemnation of the Opposition’s actions and calls for responsible MPs to be sanctioned.
In a statement on Friday, the PSC said it is “appalled and hugely disappointed” at the childish antics of the APNU/AFC Opposition in its failed attempt to disrupt and prevent the passing of the NRF Bill.
According to the Commission, it had hoped for and expected a mature and adult debate during which the public would be able to fairly and sensibly judge the merits or demerits of the Government’s presentation of this vital legislation and, in which, the Opposition could have made their case for the NRF Bill to be sent to a Special Select Committee for further debate and consultation.
“Instead,” the PSC said, “…our people were forced to witness a scene worthy of a comedy act… The responsibility now rests upon the shoulders of the Speaker of the House to ensure that those parliamentarians, who clearly crossed the line, are dealt with appropriately as provided for in the rules and procedures of our Parliament.”
Earlier this week, the PSC had indicated its support for the passage of the NRF Bill, saying that this piece of legislation will serve as a major catalyst for Guyana’s national development in all sectors leading to unparalleled economic growth.
While the NRF Bill was successfully passed late Wednesday evening and has since been assented to by President Dr Irfaan Ali, the PPP/C Government has called for consequences against the “terrorist tactic” displayed by the Opposition.
In fact, Governance and Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Gail Teixeira warned during a press conference on Thursday that the APNU/AFC actions should not be taken lightly.
“What happened last night must not go down lightly because it’s saying that it’s okay to do this; that anybody could do this and it’s fine… Therefore, there must be consequences for this whether it’s a civil court, whether it’s a criminal court or whether it’s a ruling of the Speaker. But we must never take this lightly… The Opposition at this point seems to have no boundaries and that should be of concern to everybody,” Teixeira posited.
Already, National Assembly Speaker Manzoor Nadir has reassured that the coalition Members would be punished for their attack on the Mace.
“In every Parliament, the attack on the Mace is an attack on the authority of Parliament. That attack on the Mace cannot go unpunished. Those who attacked that Mace will have to face the consequences. We cannot allow the attack on the Mace to go without repercussions,” the Speaker declared during a press briefing also on Thursday.