Order in the House is necessary

TIMES INT'L

Dear Editor,
The statement by the Speaker of the House Raphael Trotman that Guyanese are fed up with parliamentary discord is indeed a forceful one. To me, it says a lot about him, since he is a pivotal personnel in the House. He is honest, but there is more to his role. The Speaker is essential in ensuring the orderly flow of business, the observation of parliamentary rules and traditions, both written and unwritten, interpretation of these rules impartially, maintenance of order, and defence of the rights and privileges of members, including the right to freedom of speech.
Therefore, the Speaker’s actions must always be impartial. Consequently, the Speaker never participates in debate, only votes in case of a tie, and works to balance the right of the government to transact business in an orderly manner and the right of all members to be heard in a debate.
The Speaker of the House is really missing some things and it is time for him to get serious with his work. Maybe, he knows but is intimidated. Whatever it is, there is something definitely wrong in Parliament.
Maybe in Jamaica, it is the same, and as expected, there was confusion. In the last sitting of the House of Representatives, chaos descended as opposition members actually stormed out of the chamber when the marshal tried to remove one of its members.
So my point is well established regarding rules for the House. The Speaker must be very conversant with them, and they must be applied indiscriminately.
In Guyana’s situation, Trotman, who was ushered into the Speaker’s chair by a majority and popular opposition vote, again strongly advised a return to dialogue and the tripartite arrangement as a possible solution for the continuing gridlocks that have been the feature of many sittings.
I call on the Speaker to act fairly and bravely. He must also manifest a willingness to apply the rules at all times.

Yours truly,
Simone Barry

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