Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, SC, has criticised Sherod Duncan and Lincoln Lewis for their condemnation of Opposition Leader, Aubrey Norton who recently engaged President Dr Irfaan Ali on Venezuela’s latest act of aggression.
Following the incursion of an armed military vessel into Guyana’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) on Saturday March 1, President Ali had briefed the Opposition Leader and later held a meeting with him and his team to discuss further details. Following that engagement, Opposition Member of Parliament (MP)Duncan and trade unionist Lincoln Lewis both criticised Norton for meeting with the head-of-state on Venezuela’s recent provocation.
During his weekly programme, “Issues in the News,” aired on Tuesday night, Nandlall argued that national security matters should not be politicized and should always take precedent over any political issue.
“There are certain times, and there will always be certain matters that when they arise, they must not be contaminated and polluted by any other issue than the issues themselves…the sovereignty of our country, our national security, our territorial integrity, are paramount among those issues that when they arise, they require our unadulterated, unreserved and undiluted attention,” the Attorney General stated.
Nandlall also took aim at Duncan, saying, “He is critical of the opposition leader meeting with the president, in his little mind…he has not recovered yet from the error that occurred, which resulted in the opposition leader and the opposition parliamentarians not being invited to the Republic Flag raising ceremony. That was an error for which there was a public apology.”
Speaking about Lewis, the Attorney General said, “Lincoln Lewis feels that when the president issued the invite to Aubrey Norton to discuss this matter. Aubrey Norton should have said, no, no, no we have biometrics to deal with…let us find the position of these matters before we meet on this Venezuela possible invasion issue.”
Nandlall further questioned the judgment of those opposing the meeting, stating that they failed to grasp the importance of the issue at hand. He maintained that addressing national security concerns should take precedence over political grievances.
“It is these moments when you know that these fellows are not fit to be where they are in Parliament. They are not fit, they’re not qualified, they’re not competent, they’re not mature enough to represent the people of this country at that forum,” Nandlall said.
