Over $11.2B was approved unopposed by the National Assembly as current and capital spending for the 16 Constitutional agencies for 2020. The scrutiny of the agencies’ budgetary allocations was without the input of the Opposition, who had moments before walked out of the proceedings. This walkout signals incompetence on the part of the opposition, says Legal Affairs Minister and Attorney General, Anil Nandlall.
“We welcome robust scrutiny. We welcome a formidable challenge. We welcome a competent Opposition. That is not present in this bunch and today was a remarkable demonstration of that,” he said during an interview on the National Communications Network’s programme “Insight” yesterday.
“This dishonest bunch unfortunately will not be able to represent an Opposition’s interest in my view against our government,” the Minister added.
The AG noted that the APNU+AFC should have stayed in the chambers and pose questions in relation to the budgetary allocations for the constitutional agencies.
“They could have come there and ask for more and demonstrate why these constitutional agencies should get more. Instead, they took their oath of office, full up their forms saying that they are MPs to ensure they get their salaries at the end of the month and they walked out.”
The Minister anticipated the walkout by the Opposition is an indication of the pattern of what to come in the next five years.
The walkout was conducted after the Leader of the Liberty and Justice Party (LJP), Lennox Shuman was elected Deputy Speaker.
AFC Member of Parliament, Catherine Hughes said that Shuman being elected in that position shows that the government has no interest in working with the opposition, after its nominee AFC Leader, Raphael Trotman, lost to Shuman during the vote.
