“They want power for the sake of having power. That is why you see in the Parliament now they are preventing us from having either the Speaker or the Deputy Speaker… they want to control all the committees…they want to remove the authority of the Cabinet to give a no objection on projects,” President Donald Ramotar said.
The President was at the time addressing party supporters at the University of Guyana, Tain Campus during an events to observe the 21st Anniversary of the Return to Democracy on October 5th.
President Ramotar defended decisions he made in the past, and will likely make in the future to withhold assent to opposition piloted legislation that he deems unconstitutional and counter-productive to democracy.
Legislations that are passed by the Parliament are sent to the President for assent, but without consensus from both government and opposition in the Parliament, President Ramotar had stated his refusal to sign any into law. This decision had sparked outrage from opposition politicians and their allies, but as President Ramotar explained today, it was as a result of the opposition’s “unconstitutional acts” in the Parliament. The Former President’s Benefits Bill that significantly reduced the scale of endowments a president receives upon demitting office and the Fiscal Management and Accountability (Amendment) Bill that seeks to transfer certain functional responsibilities from the Minister of Finance to the Clerk of the National Assembly are among those that have not been signed into law. “When I refuse to sign them it’s because I’m defending your rights; the rights of the people of this country, to protect our constitution,” President Ramotar said.
At a time when corruption has become a buzz word and fingers are often pointed at the government, President Ramotar said the current procurement system is the most transparent and can withstand scrutiny.
Former President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo in his address said “We’re not weak. No matter what they (opposition) think they have (one seat majority in the Parliament) we’re a strong party. We are Cheddi Jagan’s party.”
The former President made reference to several developmental projects that have been shot down like the Specialty Hospital and the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project (AFHP).
“There is a struggle in this country… and unless all of us are aware of what that struggle is, it will creep up on us… and before we know it all that we stand for and stood for, all that we have achieved and are trying to achieve in this country will be lost,” Jagdeo said.
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