Parliament is about serious business, not trivial chats

guyana chronicle editorial

THE budget debate in Parliament is in full swing. But is it really a debate? Do Parliamentarians really discuss the budget proposals during their presentations? We are not satisfied that they adequately do so. With very few exceptions, the presentations thus far are more like campaign speeches. And this is on both sides of the House. While the decline in the tone of the discourse has been happening for a very long time, it has become more pronounced over the last few years. When one adds the incessant heckling and shouting across the aisle, the Parliament is reduced to a comedy show.Something has to be wrong when elected officials choose the highest deliberative body in the country to display less than polite behaviour. We are aware that politics is a very contentious undertaking, but there has to be a limit to what is said in the Parliament. We also concede that some light banter is to be expected, but what we have witnessed these last few days far exceeds that. The behaviour of many of the honourable members suggests that they do not have much regard for the seriousness of the institution in which they serve. Somebody has to let them know that their job is first and foremost to represent the interests of their constituencies. We are disappointed with the level of the debate on the budget proposals. Many presentations by Members of Parliament suggest that they have not properly read or listened to the budget speech. Our understanding is that members are supposed to use their presentations to discuss the merits and demerits of the budget as a whole and their particular subject area. With the exception of a few excellent presentations by certain members from both sides of the House, there has been little of that. The budget debate is not the time to talk about why a member switched parties or was removed from his or her position or to threaten the other party. It is certainly not the time to level personal accusations or to boast about what your party did when it was in office. No, that’s not the time and place for those discussions. The political parties still have access to the street corners where that kind of discourse may be accepted. A lot of this less than satisfactory performance comes from senior and seasoned elected officials who ought to know better. This is not a good example for young and new members. It is certainly not a good example for the children and young people who may be watching the proceedings. No wonder our youth either have little interest in politics or think public cussing down is acceptable behaviour. We call on our politicians to clean up their act. Use the People’s House to set a standard for the rest of the society. And take your job more seriously. If members read and study the budget, there would be little time left in their presentations for trivial chat. We have a nation to mould and a country to save and build. And you, the Members of Parliament, are our leaders. We expect that you lead by example as we, together, work in harmony to chart a bright and successful future for our beautiful country, Guyana.