| By Ralph SeeramI was in the middle of writing another article for today’s column. It even had a catchy headline “Rebel slaves were hanged until decapitated in Demerara” but you my readers will have to wait until next week for that historical piece. We have to deal with present issues today. I had to switch to this article after reading the following paragraph.“As Speaker I have a duty to ensure that our parliamentary system and our parliamentary democracy is not derailed, is not shattered, but is held together and even in a tenuous way because it’s always under threat.” As I read the article quoting the speaker,Cheap Jerseys Free, I could not help laughing at the irony of that statement coming from Speaker Trotman.I am recalling the hooliganism and mayhem that took place in the last two sessions in Parliament, where due to the Speaker being spineless the “inmates were running the prison”, while the warden sat helpless, allowing the disorder to take place.Trotman did not see the parliamentary system and parliament democracy being derailed, then, with the banging on the desks, and denying another member of the house, a Minister of the Government at that,Fernando Rodney Jersey, to speak. Democracy was not stymied in the eyes of the speaker. An impartial speaker would have cleared the house of the disruptive elements so that parliamentary democracy can function.There are some who feel that the speaker should stop at attempting any pretence of impartiality in his ruling, especially the last one,http://www.airmaxfantasy.us.com/574-New-Balance/, a motion to bar the Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee from speaking in the Assembly. He referred the motion to the Committee of Privileges.“And I’m of the view that a motion or Bill which seeks to limit the privileged right of any member, especially a minister because he or she has more responsibility than an ordinary member. We shouldn’t just because we have a majority or because there’s a debate,Marlon Humphrey Jersey, limit that right,” Trotman stated.Can readers see the hypocrisy in that statement? Minister Rohee has been effectively silenced, and Trotman did it.Now who Trotman thinks he is fooling. The Committee of Privileges comprises of five opposition members and four from the government,Throwback Jerseys, with Trotman as the non-voting chairman. Now really, let’s think this through. The opposition has been pushing to get rid of Rohee; the opposition controls the committee, do you have to be a genius to know what that opposition controlled committee will recommend.The way this issue is being played out one can be led to believe that this entire affair might have been rehearsed and the Speaker is just going through the play. One must remember that Trotman came from the same cloth as the opposition, both opposition parties for that matter. So if the opposition parties do not like a Government Minister for any reason, justified or not, the opposition can silence that person in Parliament. If we use that logic, by extension the entire Cabinet can be silenced by the opposition with its one seat majority. The Speaker is opening “Pandora’s Box”.Trotman does not know his beer either, responding to Attorney General Nandlall’s contention that Trotman’s actions are unconstitutional, he was quoted as saying, “We practise law together; I know his style; he likes flair and language but not much of it has substance. There’s a lot of froth at the top like a beer but I need to deal with the substance.“I think I set out pellucid last night that parliament regulates its own procedures, if the minister feels the matter is unconstitutional he can go to a constitutional court and get a ruling to that effect.”This shows where his partiality lays here he gets personal. Nandlall spoke of constitutional issues, and the Speakers descended into personal attacks. Beer drinkers know that only a good beer gives froth, or to use the beer term,Andre Branch Dolphins Jersey, a “good head”. A beer with a lot of “head” has good substance.There are some who think that he is mistaken if he thinks his actions cannot be ruled unconstitutional.It’s a foregone conclusion what the Committee of Privileges will recommend. It is obvious that they will recommend that Rohee be silenced. So where does Trotman go from there?The budget is coming up, and no doubt that will be another contentious issue. Will the Finance Minister be silenced too? The best Raphael Trotman can do is to resign, and let the APNU alternative take over the Speakership. At least the PPP will have no expectation of impartiality from an APNU Speaker.Trotman’s “fifteen minutes of fame” will end sooner than he expected. A frustrated PPP will call snap elections sooner than they planned, and will regain the majority in the house. The only problem is that it can’t call on Ralph Ramkarran again, or can it?Ralph Seeram can be reached at email: [email protected] |
