Day five of the 2024 Budget Debates opened with Deputy Speaker, Dr. Asha Kissoon taking centre stage to decry the alarming trend of petty and partisan politics overshadowing the crucial discussions needed on topics important to Guyanese. Delivering her budget debate speech, Dr. Kissoon noted that over the last few days, the house witnessed a spectacle of parliamentarians both on the government and opposition side engaged in political sparring and mudslinging–focusing on irrelevant issues rather than the positive strides needed for the Guyanese people.
With a sense of disappointment evident in her voice, Dr. Kissoon pointed out that the budget debates present the opportunity for both sides of the house to review, critique and make recommendations on the outlined plans for the fiscal year 2024, but is sadly marred by a conspicuous absence of meaningful discourse. The young parliamentarian expressed her frustration at the persistent fixation on election rigging accusations and a relentless narrative from the opposition that portrays the government as indifferent to the needs of the Guyanese people.
“I’m deeply disappointed at continuously hearing about who has rigged an election. I’m deeply disappointed at continuously hearing that the government does nothing good for the people of Guyana,” she passionately declared, emphasizing the need to shift the focus back to policy decisions that directly impact the citizens.
The unfortunate reality is that beyond policy discussions, both sides of the house have become no strangers to offensive language and disrespect as the specter of insults has haunted the National Assembly for years, with a disturbing precedent set during the 2021 Budget Debates.
After being given one week to review the budget estimates to return with observations and recommendations, government and opposition MPs instead engaged in a verbal free-for-all, hurling racist, homophobic, and sexist insults across the house. The atmosphere reached an all time low when an opposition MP went as far as publicly speculating about a government minister’s impotency. Shockingly, one government MP took the theatrics to a new level by brandishing a vibrating dildo in what can only be described as a bizarre attempt to make a point.
One would hope that the disgraceful events of the 2021 Budget Debates would have served as a lesson for the parliamentarians involved. However, it appears that the hope was in vain, as the following year’s consideration of budget estimates witnessed yet another shameful episode. A Minister, instead of engaging in meaningful discourse, disgraced the house by reviving the sex toy fiasco once again, urging some members of the opposition to “get a dildo.”
Nevertheless, the Deputy Speaker (who is fairly new to the house) in her impassioned speech, drew attention to the urgent need for a change in the conduct of members of the National Assembly. She insinuated that the ongoing pattern of insults and vulgar displays not only detracts from the serious business of governance but also erodes the public’s trust in the very institution meant to represent their interests.
As the nation grapples with the challenges of the fiscal year ahead, Dr. Kissoon’s plea serves as a reminder that the purpose of the National Assembly is to lay the groundwork for policies that will uplift the nation, rather than perpetuating a cycle of partisan bickering. It remains to be seen whether her call for a shift in focus will reverberate through the National Assembly, prompting a renewed commitment to addressing the pressing needs of the Guyanese people.
