Govt slaps down opposition motion seeking quicker response times from Clerk, Speaker of House

Using its majority in the National Assembly, the People’s Progressive Party-led government yesterday voted down a motion aimed at garnering faster responses to questions and motions.

The motion tabled by Opposition Member of Parliament Ganesh Mahipaul sought to establish a timeline for a response from the Clerk of the National Assembly and the Speaker.

Mahipaul in his motion, which was argued at length, sought to have Standing Order No. 27(2) amended to read: “If the Speaker is of the opinion that any notice of motion which has been received by the Clerk of the National Assembly infringes on the provisions of any Standing Order or is in any other way out of order, he or she may, within four days, direct that the Member concerned be informed that the notice of motion is out of order; or that the notice of motion be entered in the Order Book with such alterations as he or she may direct.”