The Opposition People’s Progressive Party, is once again raising an issue about the Prime Minister’s continued presence in the National Assembly whenever he is performing the functions of President.

The PPP through its Chief Whip in Parliament, Gail Teixeira, wrote the Speaker of the Assembly today informing him of the party’s concern and claiming that it might be unconstitutional.

According to the PPP, when it was in office, when the then Prime Minister Samuel Hinds was carrying out “the functions of office of the President”, he was not allowed to attend a sitting or a committee meeting of the National Assembly.

The PPP claims that there are records to this effect in the archives of the Parliament Office.

“Repeatedly the Minutes of the Sittings of the National Assembly reflected the absence on leave of the then Prime Minister Samuel Archibald Hinds who was carrying out the functions of the office of the President who was overseas. An official instrument was issued by the Office of the President which stated that the Prime Minister, or in some cases a Minister, was carrying out the “functions of the office of the President” and this was copied to the Clerk of the National Assembly. There was no deviation from this during the tenures of either Speaker Ralph Ramkarran or Speaker Raphael Trotman”.

The party said since the beginning of the 11th Parliament, the Opposition has noted that when the President is out of the jurisdiction, that the Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo who is carrying out the “functions of office of the President” attends sittings of the National Assembly and committee meetings and votes.

President David Granger is currently out of the country and the Prime Minister has been attending Parliamentary sittings even as he continues to perform the functions of President.

The Prime Minister has repeatedly said that as an elected member, he has the right to be in the Assembly and he is just performing the functions of the President’s office in the President’s absence and not taking over the President’s portfolio or his office.

The issue is an especially important one as the Government’s majority in the National Assembly is only by one seat. The PPP has filed a motion of no confidence against the Government that is likely to come up after the budget.

The Government has said it knows its side will use that majority and vote against the no confidence motion.

The PPP is holding firm to its position that in the circumstances, while performing the functions of the office of President, the Prime Minister’s presence in the National Assembly violates the constitutional provisions referred to herein.

The party has said if the Speaker does not address the issue, it will approach the Courts.

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