Georgetown: The Opposition Alliance for Change (AFC) and A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) from all indications have agreed on Raphael Trotman to be the Speaker of the National Assembly but come today when the House Convenes for the 10th Parliament the ruling Peoples Progressive Party Civic will be putting its full support behind Ralph Ramkarran.
According to Opposition sources APNU had not agreed to support Moses Nagamootoo so he withdrew his nomination in light of the APNU’s inclination towards Raphael Trotman.
This publication had reported that Trotman did not intend to return to the National Assembly as a Member of Parliament but had indicated his preference for the Speaker’s Position.
There is however a contention that the Women and Youth Arm of APNU is being sidelined as they are throwing their support behind Deborah Backer, Executive Member, to be the Speaker of the National Assembly.
The Government however is not happy at the manner with which the Opposition had been negotiating on the matter with Presidential Advisor Gail Teixeira scoffing at what she called the opposition undermining the tripartite approach that had been proposed by Head of State, Donald Ramotar. Teixeira was at the time holding the fort for Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger Luncheon, who usually hosts weekly Post Cabinet press briefings. According to Teixeira not because the opposition holds a combined one-seat advantage over the Government means that all of the principles should be abandoned. She pointed out that in the past 100 years ago in the Commonwealth it is only one time that a Minority Government in the UK Parliament did not hold the position of Speaker.
Teixeira maintained that their nominee has in the previous Parliament proven his competence with relation to being impartial and even-handed in dealing with the matters at hand in the House.
The Presidential Advisor on Governance did warn the Opposition that they should not see the one-seat advantage that they have in combination as a ‘carte blanch’ to run the National Assembly to the detriment of an elected government of the people of Guyana.
She explained that while the issue of Speaker of the National Assembly is an important one, the government is looking to ensure that its business is conducted unimpeded such as the passing of the 2012 Budget as well as ensuring that the services and programmes for the people of Guyana are carried out. Ralph Ramkarran
Speaking directly to the Opposition’s nominee in the form of Trotman, Teixeira said that the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has proven over time that they have worked with many persons from the opposition “but we hold to our position that in Commonwealth Parliaments that it is a practice and convention that the governing party gets the Speaker…There is a principle involved and we hold to that principle.” Teixeira posited that it is not because that the 10th Parliament would be operating in “uncharted waters” that the opposition should bulldoze their way and wreak havoc on the National Assembly. “We should not just upturn everything that is considered normal parliamentary practice in other parts of the world.”
The Presidential Advisor on Governance did reiterate that Ralph Ramkarran is the best and most competent person to hold the position and has received numerous kudos, from the likes of Trotman and several other opposition Parliamentarians.
Teixeira also stated that it is another bottom line principle that when there is a ‘Speaker Elect’ in the person of the immediate past speaker then he is usually returned unopposed. She said that Speakers generally are not changed unless in the case of death, resignation or being assigned another post.
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