President Donald Ramotar’s announcement that he would prorogue parliament rather than face the AFC’s No Confidence Motion is disingenuous, cunning and shows that the PPP will resort to any devious method to extend their minority rule for as long as possible.
President Donald Ramotar’s announcement that he would prorogue parliament rather than face the AFC’s No Confidence Motion is disingenuous, cunning and shows that the PPP will resort to any devious method to extend their minority rule for as long as possible.
Guyanese must be made aware that should the President prorogue Parliament he would not be duty bound to call new elections. Elections are only due after Parliament is dissolved.
A prorogation of the National Assembly suspends a session but does not bring the life of the Assembly to an end. The President can prorogue Parliament for as long as six months during which time the PPP Government would not be responsible to the National Assembly and they could continue to dip their fingers in the Treasury.
Following the six months, the President would be free to reconvene the Assembly and, if still faced with the No Confidence Motion, he may then dissolve Parliament. That would give him four months within which to hold an election. By proroguing parliament, President Ramotar would be securing ten months for his government without any parliamentary sitting and without any scrutiny. This is the devious plan of the Ramotar administration. Guyanese are alerted that our country would then enter in to an extra-parliamentary dictatorship.
The British practice of proroguing a session and opening a new session once every year was carried out in Guyana but the practice faded out years ago and we have reached the stage where Parliament is now no longer prorogued during its life. Only a Government that is freightened of its own people would desecrate and suspend Parliament.
The PPP is aware that its abuse of the Constitution and the public’s purse have placed it in the position where the people have lost all confidence in their ability to govern in the best interest of the nation. It is time that the PPP be made to confront their atrocities. We demand that the PPP either debate the No Confidence Motion or dissolve Parliament. Either way, the PPP must face the electorate in General Elections.
