National Assembly erupts over “Green and Yellowing” of Guyana

The National Assembly descended into a state of near chaos after People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Member of Parliament Alistair Charlie made mention of the use of green and yellow, synonymous with the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition on State buildings.

However, House Speaker, Dr Barton Scotland, charged that “green and yellow” are colours of the Guyana flag. “It (green and yellow) cannot be an object for lampooning in this House,” he said.

This prompted an intervention by Opposition Chief Whip Gail Teixeira who noted that the APNU/AFC cannot use selective colours of the national flag that are synonymous with the coalition.

“We cannot select some colours of our flag… the member (Charlie) is speaking about party colours on Government buildings.

At this point, Scotland instructed that Teixeira’s microphone be turned off, as he disallowed her from making her point, but she continued to lament the use of party colours to brand Guyana and Government buildings.

During a subsequent news conference on Tuesday afternoon, the Opposition’s Chief Whip expressed her Party’s “vehement objection” to the Speaker’s continuous descent into the arena during the business of the National Assembly.

“The latest intrusion came when the Honourable member, Allister Charlie, the PPP/C Member of Parliament for Region Number Nine, in his speech during the 2016 Budget debates, objected to the painting of State, Government and public properties in the colours of green and/or yellow.

The Speaker intervened to point out that yellow and green are “the” colours of our National flag and cannot be lampooned in the House,” Teixeira said, reading from a prepared statement and flanked by several PPP/C MPs.

She said that it was extremely difficult to accept that Dr Scotland did not grasp the essence of the objection raised by MP Charlie, which was, the use of taxpayers monies to fund the painting of Government, State and public properties with official colours of APNU/AFC colours.

“The PPP/C wishes to remind all that Members of Parliament speak on behalf of the people of Guyana who are themselves not in Parliament. People of Guyana have expressed their concern about what appears to be creeping party paramountcy,” the Opposition Chief Whip said.

She said that the suspicions may well lie in the “ugly history of our country” and attempt to prevent a recurrence, as she referenced Father Morrison’s “Justice: The Struggle for Democracy in Guyana 1952-1992. “… The party became inseparably identified with the Government, over which it exercised control and direction of its every institution.

“Symbolic of this paramountcy of the party was the flying of the party flag over the Guyana Court of Appeal, in spite of vigorous protests of the Opposition parties,” she noted.

During a news conference last week, PPP/MP Priya Manickchand, called on Government to stop “green and yellowing” Guyana.

She stated that the Government was forcing its political ideology on Guyanese who do not subscribe to it. She had also reminded that despite being in office for more than two decades, the PPP/C never attempted to paint the country “red, black and gold” – the PPP/C colours.

The PPP/C MP detailed the fact that that bridges, sections of public infrastructure and even the bicycles, boats and buses in President David Granger’s “Three B’s” programme are painted in green and yellow.

Some Opposition officials said that the decision by the Government to “paint everything green and yellow” is a return of “vintage Burnhamism” and brings back stark memories of the days when the party was above the State, with the PNC flag being flown over the Supreme Courts and other buildings that housed State entities.reminded of “the days when the Army and Police were forced to pledge allegiance to the Burnham regime.”