There is still no word from the Speaker of the National Assembly on when a meeting will be convened for the election of the Leader of the Opposition.
All efforts by Stabroek News yesterday to contact newly elected Speaker Manzoor Nadir have proven futile. The delay follows the opposition party, We Invest in Nationhood (WIN), formally submitting a letter to the Speaker requesting a scheduling of those elections yet receiving no communication regarding a date for the vote. WIN’s Leader Azruddin Mohamed is expected to be elected as Opposition Leader.
Former Speaker of the National Assembly and long-time parliamentarian, Raphael Trotman spoke to Stabroek News yesterday on the Speaker’s central role in the scheduling process.
“Firstly, there is no absolute rule that says that the election must happen contemporaneously with the opening of Parliament. In the past, it has been done both at the first sitting and subsequently,” Trotman stated. “Undoubtedly, there is a reasonable expectation that it is done expeditiously. Much depends on the availability and discretion of the Speaker. The Speaker is key to this issue.”
He added, “Despite what is said, he cannot be unaware of the political environment he is operating in – even as he works to ensure that there is constitutional compliance.”
While the Opposition Leader is elected by and from non-governmental Members of the National Assembly at a meeting chaired by the Speaker, the power to set the date rests solely with the Speaker.
“WIN has written, which is what they rightly were required to do. It is now for the Speaker to weigh all the variables and decide when a date will be set,” Trotman explained. “In so far as a delay is concerned, I foresee a protracted process.”
The former Speaker acknowledged the immediate practical implications of the delay: “The short answer to what happens if there is a delay is that the country will not fall apart, but it would be unhealthy for our democracy if this drags out and decisions that require the Opposition Leader’s imprimatur are shelved, or worse yet, unilateral decisions are taken.”
Members of Parliament from the opposition benches confirmed that there has been no word on the election. Terrence Campbell MP, Parliamentary Lead for A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), FGM MP Amanza Walton-Desir, and Mohamed, who is the presumptive Leader of the Opposition, all confirmed to SN yesterday that there has been no communication between Nadir and the opposition members regarding scheduling the election for the Leader of the Opposition.
After being sworn in on Monday, Nadir was also unavailable to address the matter.
