Dear Editor,
Regarding a news item on Clement Rohee chastising the opposition for gagging him as an elected member of parliament in the Guyana Times daily paper dated February 9, the minister is absolutely right. It is unprecedented that a parliament would punish an MP for not violating any standing order.
So far, the opposition has not been able to cite any rule that Rohee violated to be denied his right to address the House or to be sent to the Privileges Committee for discipline.
Also, the opposition passed a no-confidence motion against the minister for the shooting at Linden last July without citing any evidence linking the minister to the shooting. Because the no-confidence motion is unenforceable, the opposition moved to deny his natural right to speak on behalf of the voters. No parliament in any part of the globe operates that way. An MP’s right to speech in the House cannot be abrogated. Is the opposition not violating the law by their action and in so doing should they not all be sent to the Privileges Committee for sanctions for violating a parliamentary rule?
Regarding the no-confidence motion, all the allegations against Rohee were debunked as they were unsubstantiated and in fact discredited by the opposition’s own witnesses. The opposition demanded a commission of inquiry on the Linden shooting hoping to nail the minister and the government for the shooting.
The government and the minister insisted they had nothing to do with the shooting. The evidence obtained from the inquiry seems to be pointing to the opposition as being responsible for the deaths of innocent protesters, as the organisers nudged the protesters to break the laws. Minister Rohee gave no instruction for police to use deadly force and in fact it was found that police weapons and ammunitions were not used in the shootings. No one knows who did the shooting or where and what weapons were used, despite the opposition claiming it has evidence of government’s complicity. So much for credibility and trust in this opposition!
The Speaker made the right decision in allowing Rohee to speak in the National Assembly. His right cannot be denied without due process. What rule has the minister violated for the opposition to insist that Rohee not be allowed to speak? What is playing out in the assembly is revenge politics by the opposition and a violation of the minister’s right to natural justice.
A court’s ruling in Trinidad earlier this week is relevant to the issue in which the court ruled that a person has to be given a fair hearing and due process before actions can be taken against him. Rohee committed no egregious acts in the Linden shooting. An inquiry was being carried out but the opposition rendered the minister before the commission sat to find out what happened. The minister was not grilled before Parliament and then found to be wanting in performance. The opposition voted to convict him without a fair hearing. What kind of justice is that? It is akin to what took place in Burnham’s kangaroo court. It is a dictatorship of the opposition no different from what took place during the 28 years dictatorship.
I have many issues with Rohee but his right as an MP must not be violated unless he broke some rules that require sanctions.
Yours truly,
Vishnu Bisram
Queens, New York