The Canadians have something we need
Editorial
Kaieteur News
January 11, 2007
Each country has its own way of doing business and Guyana is no different although there are times when people would wish that some things appear to please the vast majority of the country.
We are now hosting five visiting Canadians, four of whom are Members of Parliament who came here through the auspices of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. The visit is intended to expose us to the parliamentary practices of the Canadians and at the same time, allow them to experience ours with a view to possibly learning from us. They have met all our national leaders and they have even sat in the hallowed halls of our Parliament Buildings, meeting our parliamentarians and sharing experiences.
One interesting thing that has come out of the association between the visiting Canadians is the open nature of the government and the power of the opposition.
In Guyana , the opposition parties are always complaining that they are merely performing for the records. Rarely are their views entertained during the debates since the government side would always use its majority to pass Bills and to defeat opposition motions, even it means going back to correct the situations that the opposition parties had identified during the debates.
There was the case of the name change for the country's international airport. The main opposition party duly informed the government that the matter needed to be taken to Parliament. The Prime Minister ignored this only to recant when he was so advised by the Office of the Attorney General.
Motions by the Opposition seeking urgent private attention are invariably defeated on a ruling by the speaker. Private Members' Days are now things of the past. There was a time when Wednesdays were specifically reserved for these days when the government was required to answer questions by the opposition.
The Canadians came and they told us that each sitting of their Parliament features what the Canadian media find to be most interesting. For 45 minutes, the government is bound to field questions from the opposition. The questioner has about a minute to ask his question and the government has about a minute to answer.
There is no need for notices or prior interventions. This is what the parliament allows. Government Ministers are bound to answer the questions and if perchance they do not have the answer they are allowed to say that they would return at a subsequent time with the answer. And answer they must.
This allows supporters and opposition to now exactly what is going on in government. Ministers are brought to book and of course, government becomes transparent.
Then there are the Parliamentary Committees. No Canadian Minister is bigger than the committee. The committees summon them and they have to attend and answer questions.
In Guyana , Ministers are also subservient to the Parliament Committees but on one occasion a Minister walked out under the pretext that a member of the committee insulted him. He was never sanctioned.
The difference between the Canadian model and the local model is that everyone recognises that to flout the regulations could mean the end of a political career or perhaps jail.
In Guyana there is no known sanction for any infraction. We need to repose sanctions in our institutions. Dr. Cheddi Jagan, when he was in opposition, once tossed the Speaker's mace from its position on the desk. The Speaker barred him from even speaking in Parliament until he apologised.
Dr. Jagan appealed to the international bodies and got the same answer, such was the manner in which people hold their prized institutions.
In Guyana we allow the political party to be bigger than just about everything else and this should not be. The Canadians have said as much to us. Perhaps our political system has allowed this anomaly, but the time has come when we should change it.
We should vote for the party but we should allow the elected members to represent us. We should hold them accountable. And at this time when all are consumed in the struggle to survive, the nation needs to be made aware of what its politicians are doing.