The Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) said yesterday that the announcement of the proroguing of Parliament by President Donald Ramotar must be seen as a cowardly act and one that denies the people their right to appraise the President and his ministers’ performance through their elected representatives.
According to a GTUC press release issued yesterday after the President announced prorogation a mere two hours before the National Assembly was scheduled to sit, the move denies the citizens their right guaranteed under Article 106(6) of the Guyana Constitution.
The GTUC said President Ramotar has yet again communicated that his government is not prepared “to account to the people for the manner in which our tax dollars are being spent and the management of our other resources. This act by the president has left the society with no choice but to take extra-parliamentary action.”
It said the opposition has a responsibility to sensitise the nation as to the consequences of Ramotar’s action, mobilise to protect our rights under the Constitution, and ensure that democracy prevails.
The GTUC said it noted that the President claimed prorogation would allow for engagement with the opposition to come up with a parliamentary agenda. It said it noted too that the opposition has expressed understandable concerns about conducting further dialogue with a government that has a track record of not honouring anything.
While the GTUC will not discourage the opposition from engaging the government, the release said, any engagement must include an acceptable list, which has the involvement of non-governmental institutions and organisations, outside of the political parties.
It stated that the principal political objective of the state, as outlined in Article 13, mandates an inclusionary democracy that requires the involvement of citizens in the management and decision-making processes that impact their well-being. The opposition, therefore, which has the majority in the National Assembly, has a responsibility to ensure that Article 13 is given meaning in spirit, intent and action, the release said.
It noted that while the Constitution and laws are made for the society, it is the people who must make them work. As such, the people must be prepared to challenge any individual, group or institution that seeks to use the laws and state’s resources “to transgress our rights, suppress our independence of conscience, and use our resources to oppress us. Cowardly acts must not be embraced by a people whose forebears have left a rich legacy in their fight for freedoms,” the GTUC said.
