Georgetown: Chaos erupted in Parliament Monday Member of Parliament for the People’s Progressive Party, Bishop Juan Edghill, refused to leave the Parliamentary Chamber after being ordered to do so by the Speaker.
This resulted in the police being called in. “I will not be leave”, Edghill declared.
The issue stemmed from the Speaker sticking to the agreed timeframe for the examination of the budget for the Ministry of the Presidency. It was earlier agreed that two hours would have been dedicated to that examination of the estimates. When the two hours ended, the Speaker allowed additional time but then said it was time to move on.
At that stage, MP Edghill rose to his feet and demanded that more time be provided for the scrutiny of the Ministry of the Presidency’s estimates.
House Speaker, Dr Barton Scotland said there was an earlier agreement and no objections to the time specified for the examination of the estimates and the members could therefore not have it both ways. A defiant Edghill kept demanding that he be allowed more time even as he was repeatedly asked to take his seat.
Edghill refused to leave the Chamber and continued to shout his defiance at the Speaker. At one stage the Speaker jumped to his feet and asked Edghill to leave. The Bishop continued to refuse and the Sergeant at Arms was instructed to assist Mr. Edghill in leaving.
The MP planted himself in his seat and refused the instruction of the Sergeant at Arms. That forced the Speaker to suspend the sitting.
Opposition Parliamentarian Priya Manickchand was allegedly punched in her stomach more police stormed the building to remove her colleague Bishop Juan Edghill based on orders by the Speaker.
The police, led by Commander of ‘A’ Division, Marlon Chapman, stormed for Edghill while he surrounded by his fellow Parliamentarians and during the process, Manickchand began to cry and scream; the police retreated as Edghill remained grounded in his seat.
Manickchand, in tears, claimed she was punched in her stomach and her chest by the Police who were trying to push their way through the human barricade formed around Edghill.
Edghill, in an interview with the media, declared that he was being harassed by the police.
The Speaker later through the Clerk of the National Assembly, Sherlock Isaacs had instructed members of the media to leave to the parliamentary chambers even as the lights, air-conditioning and Wi-Fi were switched off.
According to Isaacs, the media is only there “at the invitation of the Speaker.” However, President of the Guyana Press Association (GPA), Neil Marks, who is in Parliament said the media should stand their ground and not leave.
The situation has resulted in a standoff with the Parliamentary office now seeking legal advice.
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