MPs say Parliament committees open way for compromise
By Andre Haynes
Stabroek News
January 10, 2007
Though members continue to vote along party lines on contentious issues parliamentary committees have been forums for political compromise.
During a meeting with a visiting delegation from the Canadian branch of the Commonwealth Parliamen-tary Association (CPA), the chairpersons and deputy chairpersons of the parliamentary committees had mixed reactions about their success but they were optimistic about the future of the system.
The four-member team of Conservative Senator Terry Stratton, Conservative MP Russ Hiebert, Bloc Québécois MP Michel Guimond and Liberal MP Raymonde Folco met yesterday with the small group of PPP/C and PNCR-1G MPs who head the committees at Public Buildings.
Folco said committees require compromise from all sides. She emphasised too that politics requires people to work together across their political alliances. She also mentioned that one of the important lessons that some politicians need to learn is to avoid personalising their work, since it is not about them, rather it is about developing the country.
PPP/C Chief Whip Indra Chandarpal, who outlined the local system for the visitors, pointed out that the deliberations at the committee level provided for frank exchanges between the government and opposition outside of the political agitation of the full National Assembly. She said it also reduced the degree of partisan division, allowing for compromises to be reached.
However, PNCR MP James McAllister, while acknowledging the importance of the system, noted that there have been limitations that have hampered its success. He noted that local MPs are still part-timers, which hinders the amount of work that they do. He also mentioned the difficulty that he encountered as chairperson of the Sectoral Committee for Economic Services, when the panel sought to summon public servants and Ministers to testify as part of investigations. "We are coming along, and learning a lot of things but there is still a far way to go," he said. McAllister also noted that the electoral system might also be an impediment to the committee system. He pointed out that as a result of the Proportional Represen-tation system it is unusual to find members adopting a position different from their party. As a result, he complained that the division between the parties in the National Assembly is often transferred to the committees. In fact, he said that on really contentious issues there is no chance that members would vote outside of the party lines. However, McAllister added that he did not see an immediate solution to the problem, since the PR system addresses some of the fundamental issues in society.
However, in light of McAllister's complaints about getting government officials to appear before committees, PPP/C MP Odinga Lumumba, who is the chairperson of the Sectoral Committee on Natural Resources, said that it had never been a problem during his tenure. He said at no time did any minister or agency head refuse to appear before his committee, and he even mentioned a stern letter he wrote to Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, who was present at yesterday's engagement. "As politicians, we ought to know our limitations in particular situations," Lumumba said. Chandarpal added that it might be a matter of managerial styles. PNCR-1G MP Aubrey Norton noted that historically there have been majority governments that have had the power to enact legislation without the support of opposition. As a result, he explained that the partisan politics have not permitted the government and opposition to be responsive to each other's ideas. He said there is need to recognise and search for consensus if there is to be progress. "Both sides need to find a new culture to put Guyana first and cause us to work for consensus and compromise," he said. "The real resolution of the problem here rests in our political willingness to be able to be responsive."
PNCR MP Volda Lawrence said she was disappointed when she became an MP, as she had imagined that all members were interested in putting Guyana first. However, she added that as a member of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), where she sat, she has found nothing less than persons who work together to develop the country. Lawrence is the new chairperson of the PAC. Having worked with former chairperson of the PAC, Winston Murray, she said there were never any disagreements and always compromise, which she hoped would find its way to the committee in general. "I just hope it wouldn't take too long for our country," she said, "because we really need it and we need it now."
Chandarpal, who has worked with Lawrence on the PAC, endorsed her sentiments about work on the PAC.
The Canadian MPs pointed out that with Canada's minority government, there was no choice but negotiation for the parties. The visiting delegation also met with members of the AFC and GAP-ROAR yesterday.