President will not sign opposition bills without executive input

by in Guyana, News

Georgetown : President Donald Ramotar has sent a warning to the Opposition about the abuse of their one seat majority in the National Assembly, stating categorically that he will not affix his signature to any bill that is brought to his desk without the input of the Executive.
His warning came in response to the notion that is being propagated of a “Rule by Motion” politics in the National Assembly where the coalition party, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) has 26 seats and, the Alliance For Change (AFC) seven. The Ruling party has 32 seats.
Speaking to Editor-in-Chief of the National Communications Network (NCN) Michael Gordon at a special interview, President Ramotar revisited the three arms of government which give the Executive exclusive jurisdiction to implement policies and laws.
“That is not the function of the Opposition. They must respect what is their role… I am making it very clear that I will not assent to any bill that they carry unless it is with the full agreement of the Executive and the full involvement of the Executive.”
The President regards the move by the Opposition a violation of the Separation of Powers and, an attempt to confiscate authority that was not constitutionally given to them.
It is on this basis that President Ramotar said the government has taken to litigation in an attempt to seek redress over the cuts to the 2012 National Budget.
He noted that the Opposition said they (Government) can return to the National Assembly for Supplementary funding, but the Sittings today and tomorrow will really be the ‘acid’ test of  such facility.

   The Opposition parties voted against $21B from the 2012 National Budget, jeopardising the functions and very existence of some crucial government sectors and programmes.
Among them are the Low Carbon Development Strategy which lost $18B and the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC), the Government Information Agency (GINA) the Customs Anti Narcotics Unit (CANU) and State Planning Secretariat, all of which were left with one Guyana dollar.