APNU welcomes dissolving of parliament; ready for May 11

APNU welcomes dissolving of parliament; ready for May 11

A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) has welcomed the announcement by President Donald Ramotar that Guyana’s already prorogued Parliament will be dissolved on February 28 and says the President is finally putting an end to the 10th Parliament which his administration has destroyed.

The APNU reminded that Mr. Ramotar, after three years of “subverting parliamentary democracy,” prorogued Parliament on the 10th November 2014 and most recently announced his intention to dissolve Parliament on the February 28.

“President Ramotar, since the inauguration of the 10th Parliament in January 2012, has been trying to diminish the autonomy and authority of the National Assembly. He withheld assent to bills and declined to implement resolutions; brought motions in the High Court against the Speaker and Opposition Leader and launched a fierce media campaign against members of the National Assembly,” Deputy Speaker and APNU member Basil Williams said.

He called attention to President Ramotar’s alleged abuses and assaults on parliamentary democracy; adding that the end is near for Ramotar and the 22 – year – old PPP/C administration.

Williams believes President Donald Ramotar’s dreadful broadcast to the nation on the February 24 was “the nadir of his troubled three-year tenure of office” and was a final insult to the people of Guyana.

“It destroyed the 10th Parliament and smothered the voices of the people’s legitimate representatives in the National Assembly. It drained whatever confidence the public might have had in the People’s Progressive Party/Civic’s commitment to parliamentary democracy,” he added.

Williams was supported by his colleague and Shadow Local Government Minister Ronald Bulkan who argued that the PPP/C only pretended it was interested in democracy when it had a majority in the National Assembly but became disinterested once it became a minority government.

Bulkan warned too that under a new government, PPP/C Ministers accused of wrongdoings will be held accountable.

He made specific reference the monies spent by the government in 2014 which was not approved by the Parliament and deemed unlawful by the High Court.

The opposition says the abuses of the PPP/C administration has become more than the citizenry can bear.

 

Filed: 28th February, 2015

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