Standoff brews as PPP pushes for Jagdeo to be penultimate budget debater

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Opposition Leader. Bharrat Jagdeo

By Jomo Paul

Opposition Leader. Bharrat Jagdeo
Opposition Leader. Bharrat Jagdeo

[www.inewsguyana.com]– A Budget 2015 standoff looms in the National Assembly as Government and Opposition Chief Whips are refusing to budge on their desired placement of Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo on the list of debaters in the National Assembly.

Government’s Chief Whip Amna Ally is insisting that the Jagdeo speak before Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, but the Opposition side of the House says this goes against established conventions and norms.

The People’s Progressive Party in a release had stated that the move by the government was a direct attempt to “muzzle” Jagdeo, but Ally says “there is nothing like muzzling the Opposition Leader because normally the Prime Minister closes off and the mover of the motion, who is the Minister of Finance closes the motion.”

 Amna Ally
Amna Ally

Ally says that the “Opposition Leader speaks…the Prime Minister and then the mover of the motion who is the Minister of Finance.”

However, Teixeira says this would be arbitrary to established conventions and norms.

“Parliamentary conventions and norms are that the Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition and the Minister closes the debate and that is proven in the parliamentary records…what she’s saying is nonsense,” said Teixeira.

The Chief Whip says she will await the decision of the Speaker of the National Assembly, Barton Scotland before a decision on the way forward is made.

Gail Teixeira
Gail Teixeira

“The Chief whip of the government does not control this parliament….if the Speaker is willing to let the Leader of the Opposition be muzzled in that way then he will make his legacy…Is the coalition afraid that if Jagdeo speaks before Jordan then he can’t defend himself?…They frighten Jagdeo you know, the main problem is they terrified of this man – cause when he get up and talk economics and Finance some people will get diarrhea in this place,” she told reporters.

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14 COMMENTS

  1. Let me tell you what I see anni…I see jagdeo a man who stole from the taxpayers, lied, treated his wife badly and had friends who are killers and drug dealers. And Granger a man who lives a good life with his wife, and interested in making Guyana a country to be one that is prospering in South America. And you are comparing apples to oranges.!!

  2. hey owen you forgot that mr carl grinnege is a sitting member of the government too, he made jagdeo look like god.

  3. What has jagdeo economic has done for guyana. What has he demonstrate so far that benifited guyana. He did steal for himself, friends while construction of white elephants stand all over guyana. Currouption in every contract etc he placed his hands in and so stupid of him he wasn’t even sensible enough to hid his stealing assets where they can’t be found. So you 2 idiots go back and check for something tangible to support your claim. For it’s only time before he comes crushing down. He feels being the head of Parliament for the opposition will save him, not a chance for he doesn’t deserve such.

  4. How backwards are these people, jagdeo is opposition leader, not president, and until he president again, if ever. Call a spade a spade, like they were a bunch of thief and killers, call them that. Stop being bind by race to the facts.

  5. Jagdeo should be ashamed of entering Parliament. Those who trust him should take a keen look at the kind of youths that his ” 23 years governance” produced. I think he should take some personal time to be truthful to himself.

  6. Well said ms. Teixeira. They afraid of president jagdeo. Remember jagdeo fired jordon as director of budget. Jordon is no match for president jagdeo. Better get some extra toilets when them (apnu/afc) get diarrhea .

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