Ninth Parliament draws to a close

The Ninth Parliament will soon end with the final sitting of the National Assembly being called on Thursday, September 29, Head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr Roger Luncheon said at his post-Cabinet briefing yesterday.

According to a GINA press release, issues to be addressed at the final sitting include the financial bill which deals with the additional provisions and the replenishment of the contingency fund which was laid by Finance Minister, Ashni Singh, the report of the parliamentary special select committee on the Telecommunications bill and the Public Utility Commission bill which is expected to be favourably considered by the full house leading to their enactment after its third reading.

Dr Luncheon had also pointed out that the withdrawal by the opposition from sittings and proceedings, followed by their subsequent refusal to attend parliament is not only historic for Guyana and the Commonwealth Caribbean but the entire Commonwealth.

The existence of the Ninth Parliament is just five years after the day it met in 2006 and new parliamentarians will be sworn in by December 28 after which the first sitting of the Tenth Parliament will be seen.