No-confidence motion will be defeated -PM Nagamootoo

Prime Minister Nagamootoo said he believes that the Opposition "feels quite wrongly that the recent Local Government Elections has passed a judgement on the government, that it was some referendum on the government which is, of course, not only trying to falsify the notion of Local Government Elections but to use it in an opportunistic way to gain an advantage that it could, in fact, move a motion against the government".

No-confidence motion will be defeated  -PM Nagamootoo

The Opposition’s no confidence motion against the Government will not make it for debate in the National Assembly until after the reading, debate and passage of the National Budget.

The Leader of Government’s business in the House, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, in a statement yesterday said the motion will be defeated.

The Prime Minister went live on Facebook to address the issue and said the Government is not running away from the motion.

“We have been advised, by the Clerk of the National Assembly, that it is the government that would set a day for the discussion of a no-confidence motion. We are not running away from a no-confidence motion, we are prepared for a discussion of any such motion, but we believe that there are some issues that take precedence over such a motion”, Prime Minister Nagamootoo noted.

Prime Minister Nagamootoo said he believes that the Opposition “feels quite wrongly that the recent Local Government Elections has passed a judgement on the government, that it was some referendum on the government which is, of course, not only trying to falsify the notion of Local Government Elections but to use it in an opportunistic way to gain an advantage that it could, in fact, move a motion against the government”.

He reminded that the PPP has moved a motion, knowing that it has a minority of votes in the National Assembly, adding that it is the government that has the majority.

“And, therefore, initially and on the surface of it, a no-confidence motion cannot succeed. It is a no-go. It is a no-no”. 

He explained that even if a Government MP is absent and motion is tied, it does not pass.

“First, the constitution – our law says that in order for a motion of no-confidence to pass it must have a majority of the elected members of the National Assembly. I’ll repeat that. It must have a majority of all elected members of National Assembly. Our National Assembly has 65 members. It means that the motion of no-confidence, in order to pass, must have 33 members who are elected as members of the National Assembly. The Opposition doesn’t have that. It is the Government that has 33 members who are elected and sitting in the National Assembly.”

Mr. Nagamootoo appeared confident that there is no logical argument that the motion can succeed.

“We are not afraid of debate. We are old debaters. Question is, there is an old unwritten law, this is inequity that says “He who wants justice must come with clean hands”.

He said the current government has been a stable government, and has been able to restore peace and public order to Guyana.

“We will debate this motion, we will have this motion discussed and we will defeat it because it is not a viable motion. It is a motion that is breed out of desperation, it is a motion that is breed out of Opposition frustration, it is a motion that is breed by this opportunism to look forward to the new wealth of Guyana and trying to destabilize our beautiful country”, Nagamootoo said.

In a statement last evening, the Opposition said while the Prime Minister is confident that the motion will be defeated, he appears fine with the decision to have it come up after the budget and not as soon as possible.

The Opposition Leader has stated that he filed the no-confidence motion because of alleged government corruption and the coalition administration failing to deliver on many of its promises.

The motion is now likely expected to come up just before or after the holidays.

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