The Speaker of the National Assembly, Manzoor Nadir today blocked a Motion that was filed by the Opposition which was seeking to establish a multi-stakeholder Task Force to address issues arising out of the Venezuela/Guyana Border Controversy. 

A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Member of Parliament, David Patterson, in tabling the motion, sought an adjournment of the National Assembly to treat with the motion, which he described as a “definite matter of urgent public importance,” but the Speaker, in his ruling, said the issue was not an urgent one.

Further, he said the resolved clause, which called on the Government to immediately establish a multi-party, and multi-stakeholder Task-Force to address all aspects of the clear and present danger that Venezuela’s actions portent against the good order, safety and security of Guyana, was addressed in an earlier motion passed by the National Assembly that had addressed the controversy in great details. 

“On November 6, when we debated and resolved, unanimously in the National Assembly, one of the resolve clauses called for deepening engagement among all national stakeholders on issues relating into sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, particularly, within the context of the meetings of the bipartisan ministerial advisory committee on Guyana/Venezuela controversy. So, that has a lot of similarity with your resolve also,” the Speaker told MP Patterson.

In handing down the ruling, Mr Nadir relied on a 2008 ruling by former Speaker of the House, Ralph Ramkarran, in which it was said that a motion similar in nature to one already resolved in the House, cannot be deliberated upon during the same session.

But MP Patterson told the House while the Argyle talks between President Irfaan Ali and his Venezuelan counterpart, Nicolas Maduro, have eased the tension, Guyana must use this time to prepare for any future acts of aggression by Venezuela.  

“We believe that the effort in achieving the Argyle Declaration was commendable, however, we do feel that Venezuela will not rest and will continue to have efforts to undermine Guyana’s sovereignty. Sir, the Argyle Declaration has offered us a break in Venezuela’s aggressive behaviour and we must use this break to be prepared,” MP Patterson told the House.

He said the need for the multi-stakeholder task-force still exists. 

MP Patterson told the House that the bipartisan Ministerial Advisory Committee on Guyana/Venezuela Controversy has not met in recent times. He said the same can be said for other important committees.

“Sir, you made reference to a Ministerial Task Force, sir, the November Meeting of this Assembly, they have not met. The Ministerial Committee has not met. Sir, the Foreign Relations Committee has met twice,” the Opposition MP pointed out. 

According to the Argyle Declaration, which was birthed out of a meeting between President Ali and President Maduro in St Vincent and the Grenadines last week, the two countries have agreed not threaten or use force against one another in any circumstances, including those that are consequential to any existing controversy between the two.

The two sides also agreed to establish a Joint Commission of Foreign Ministers and technical persons from the two countries to address matters as mutually agreed.

In their Joint Declaration, Guyana and Venezuela also agreed to continue dialogue on other pending matters. They have also agreed to refrain from escalating any conflict or disagreement. 

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