A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Member of Parliament, Ganesh Mahipaul, is calling on the Speaker of the National Assembly, Manzoor Nadir to convene the Committee of Selection to appoint parliamentary committees. He said the ongoing delay by the Speaker is an assault on Parliamentary democracy.

In a statement, MP Mahipaul said while the Parliament has long been reconstituted, the Speaker of the National Assembly, who chairs the Committee of Selection, has failed to convene that committee to appoint the other Parliamentary committees, such as the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and the Parliamentary Sectoral Committee on Foreign Relations.

“The Standing Orders clearly provide for critical Standing Committees such as the the Public Accounts Committee, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Constitutional Reform, the Committee on Appointments, the Parliamentary Management Committee, and the Parliamentary Oversight Committee on the Security Sector. In addition, there are the Sectoral Committees, the Committee on Natural Resources, the Committee on Economic Services, the Committee on Foreign Relations, and the Committee on Social Services, which are essential for scrutinising government policy and performance across every major sector,” MP Mahipaul pointed out.

He explained further that the Assembly relies on Select Committees, including the Standing Orders Committee, the Committee of Privileges, the Statutory Instruments Committee, and Special Select Committees that are established on a needs basis.

He said without these committees, there is no oversight.

“Without these committees: there is no financial oversight, as the Public Accounts Committee cannot function; there is no sectoral scrutiny, as the Sectoral Committees remain dormant; there is no internal accountability, as Select Committees are not constituted. This situation represents a collapse of the institutional guardrails of our democracy. Parliamentary oversight is not optional. It is fundamental. The continued failure to establish these committees is a slap in the face of the people of Guyana and a dangerous erosion of transparency, accountability, and good governance,” MP Mahipaul said.

Mr. Mahipaul said it is within the best interest of the country for the Speaker to convene the Committee of Selection, noting that as an independent nation, it is important for the country to progress and not regress.

MP Mahipaul also called out the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) and the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) for being silent on this worrying issue.

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