Backbenchers do their work quietly behind the scenes
Despite the heated debates Mohanlall believes his opposition colleagues share the same objective of
Stabroek News
May 19, 2004
Heeralall Mohanlall, one of the two regional parliamentarians for Region 2 (Pomeroon/Supenaam), is a firm believer that there is life beyond politics and that, he says, explains his firm friendship with his colleague from the opposition benches, Ivor Allen.
He said that in politics you have to learn to relate to people and he has always believed that at the end of the day despite the heated debates his colleagues across the aisle share his interest in the people of Guyana and have the same objective of developing the country.
Mohanlall, however, is a staunch activist of the ruling PPP/C. He was trained in political science in the Soviet Union in 1973 where he spent eighteen months. This was the same year that he became an adult member of the PPP. Following his training in the Soviet Union, Mohanlall worked as voluntary organiser for the party on the Essequibo Coast before being appointed regional vice chairman in 1993. He is also a member of the PPP's regional committee.
Mohanlall entered the National Assembly following the 1997 General Elections.
Mohanlall describes himself as a born and bred Essequibian who grew up in Danielstown where he attended the St Agnes Anglican School and received his primary education. He also attended evening classes at the Anna Regina Secondary School.
He joined the PPP's Progressive Youth Organisation (PYO) around the mid-60s when he was between 14-15 years old. Mohanlall says that the PYO, in which he was very active, provided a good training ground for his later activities.
Mohanlall says that he finds the parliamentary experience very interesting and informative as it gives him an insight into what is going on in the political life of the country. But he finds servicing his constituency very demanding. He says he pays frequent visits to various parts of his constituency where he addresses complaints by the residents by liaising with the relevant local authorities, be they at Suddie, Charity or Supenaam. He says that he attends the meetings of the Regional Democratic Council for the region as well as the Neighbourhood Democratic Councils in the area and on Tuesdays meets constituents at the RDC office, where he is provided with some accommodation for this purpose.
Mohanlall is a member of the Committee of Privilege and the parliamentary sector committee on Natural Resources. He finds his work on the latter committee very interesting and time consuming as it covers areas such as forestry, mines and land use. He has heard evidence from the Ministers responsible for Forestry, Mines as well as the Commissioner of Geology and Mines, and he has answered wide-ranging questions on the impact and the effectiveness of their policies in their subject areas.
He said too that Maj Gen (rtd) Joe Singh who now heads the Guyana office of Conservation International also appeared before the committee. He believes that this committee has held the most meetings of all the sector committees and these meetings last a minimum of three hours.
Mohanlall has an interest in legislation which deals with agriculture as would be expected from someone who has been reared in a community where the major activity is farming -rice, ground provisions and cattle rearing - as well as education. Because of his intense interaction with the young people in the region including sponsoring a number of competitions - cricket, football, volleyball - Mohanlall says that he takes an active interest in legislation dealing with issues related to young people.
Like the other backbenchers Current Affairs has interviewed Mohanlall says that the stipend that was paid to parliamentarians before the introduction of the allowances for parliamentarians serving on committees and for the regional parliamentarians was totally inadequate. Last month the Government tabled orders that provided for the payment of $20 000 per month allowance for regional parliamentarians and a $15 000 per month allowance for parliamentarians who are members of committees.
He explained that the stipend which is around $39 000 could hardly meet his travelling expenses, particularly the visits to riverain areas where he frequently has to overnight and requires providing gasoline for the outboard motors.
Mohanlall is a rice farmer, owns his own tractor and combine and farms 30 acres of land. He has been married for 27 years and is the father of three children - two boys, and a girl who is married. His elder son has a degree in Computer Science and is the Information Technology Officer for Region One (Barima/Waini) and his younger son attends primary school.