The pandemonium that erupted in the hallowed halls of parliament yesterday as Opposition Member of Parliament (MPs) sought to thwart the passage of a landmark Natural Resources Fund (NRF) bill is tantamount to preserving the will of the people, says Opposition Leader, Joseph Harmon.
While admitting that he was not physically present at the sitting of the National Assembly “due to unforeseen circumstances”, Harmon said that he was in attendance virtually.
“During the proceedings, I was in continuous contact with fellow Members of Parliament and I am in full support of the actions taken by opposition Members of Parliament in attempting to halt the passage of the Natural Resource Fund Bill. The nation and the world at large witnessed the Opposition MPs fighting to secure the will of the people,” the leader said.
He added that despite critics labeling the actions of those MPs as “thuggish” and “hooliganism”, the opposition remains unfazed.
“We will continue to fight for the rights of the Guyanese people, so call us what you may. Just know that we will not retreat nor will we surrender. We will fight until there is no fight left in us. We represent the people of this country and we will not roll over and allow this PPP administration to engage in criminal thieving of our state’s resources and raping of our treasury while ignoring the voices of a large section of our population,” the former State Minister said.
The former senior army official noted also that “Any sensible and democratic administration would have delayed the tabling of this bill amidst the cries and concerns of the people and the many statements emanating from numerous organizations and groups requesting that the passage of the bill be halted to facilitate wider consultation.”
Indeed, several organizations, while lauding the bill, have expressed that there is need for more consultation.
Opposition MPs, during the Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh’s presentation, began shouting and blowing whistles in the House. An Opposition MP, Annette Ferguson, then snatched the ceremonial mace and tug-of-war ensued between opposition MPs and Parliament staff.
