Parliament in focus…Again

guyana chronicle editorial

WE come back today to the recent Budget debates in Parliament. Our initial comments, which were critical of the quality of the debates and the general behaviour of Parliamentarians, came mid-way through the process last week. Nothing that occurred in the second half of the week has changed our minds. In fact, it got worse as the week progressed. In the circumstances, we stand by the sentiments expressed in our previous editorial. While the Opposition may have been a more frequent and boisterous culprit, the Government side was not far behind. We understand that in most cases, Government members were forced to respond to the presentations by Opposition members, many of which indicted the Government on downright false premises and or erroneous information. Minister Raphael Trotman’s revelation that the PPP intended to discontinue the $10,000 education voucher was case in point. What is most discomforting about that episode is that, faced with the damning evidence presented by Trotman, the Opposition neither denied nor apologised for misleading the House. Sections of the media, including this publication, reported on some of the more graphic exchanges during the debates. We made news out of some of the “cuss downs”; after all, we are in the business of selling news. But, if that is all the news we could get out of the debates, it is less a commentary on the media, and more an indictment of our premier institution of Government. The Opposition leader’s address took the cake. For more than 90 minutes, he engaged in an extreme form of attack-dog politicking that sounded more like his famous Babu John speeches. That then set the tone for the Prime Minister’s response, which, though not in the same vein as Jagdeo’s address, could have been more in his customary profound mode if it were not partly answering the Opposition Leader. Thankfully, the Finance Minister stood tall in a House of dwarfs. The walkout by the PPP was equally in bad taste. Clearly, it demonstrated that they came to the proceedings with a well-orchestrated plan of action: To turn the House into a wayside political rally, replete with all the negative bells and whistles. And once it was accomplished, they retreated into the dark. The pleas for more speaking time for the Opposition Leader and for a higher place on the pecking order were mere manipulations to secure more space and time for what was obviously a political ambush. We pass no judgment. But our country deserves better. This brings us to the Government’s initial decision to cut the time for consideration of the estimates. Whatever they may have been thinking, it was not a wise decision. As a Government, which is consistently under attack for dictatorial decision-making, you want to do everything to demonstrate otherwise, and nothing to justify the charges. Minister Trotman’s explanations about precedence did little to convince even Government supporters. If the Government has nothing to hide, then it is to its benefit to allow as thorough a scrutiny of the estimates as is possible. To its credit, they have reversed that initial decision and increased the time. While Government should not be bullied, it must respond to constructive criticism.