Joinder parties unhappy at exclusion from Parliamentary committees

The joinder parties that were birthed in the run up to the 2020 general elections have expressed their displeasure at the fact that they are not represented on any of the Parliamentary committees.

The three parties hold one seat in Parliament and their current representative, Lenox Shuman is not on any of the committees.

The parties in a release yesterday, stated that at the March 2 general and regional elections, a section of the Guyanese voting public expressed a desire to have the historic combination of three political parties, the Liberty and Justice Party (LJP), A New and United Guyana (ANUG) and The New Movement (TNM) represented in the National Assembly. That representative is currently the LJP’s Shuman.

The joinders have accused the two main political parties of reneging on their promise of inclusivity by failing to nominate a member of the joinder to any of the Parliamentary committees. These committees, it was noted, carry out important work that brings about reform through legislative intervention, such as constitutional reform.

The joinders posited that having only the two large ethnic-based parties being represented on these committees is a recipe for stand-o s, retarded progress and the same old modus operandi that “has failed to bring us to a the level of transparency and e ciency characteristic of a progressive society.”

They argued that although the two main parties represent 90% of the electorate, the real damage is not that the will of that 90 % would not be carried out, but rather, the interests of the two, who, they add, have been “notorious for using the state and legislative arms of government to advance their own agenda.” According to the release, including representation from the smaller parties, would foster greater diversity of views, and add a voice of reason wherever gridlock might arise.

The joinder parties said that the standing orders that exist currently, which govern the selection of these parliamentary committees, perpetuate the 2-party system by forcing all opposition parties to fall under the discretion of the “opposition leader”. They pointed out that this system

gives the largest opposition party, control over whether the third parties will be given a seat on the parliamentary committees, as well as insitutionalises an undemocratic system which leaves a “significant portion” of the electorate unrepresented in the decision-making processes. As they see it, all voters who have representation in the National Assembly should be fairly represented at the table, and this should be reflected in the standing orders. They also disclosed that the joinder seat will be proposing these amendments.

The parties also contended that the recent political history of the country demonstrates that an interlocutor is or ought to be considered to be a vital component in Guyana’s politics. “No one can fail to see that the political gridlock which has prevailed for decades in Guyana will not be resolved unless there is a group that is prepared to hold both institutionalized parties accountable and ensure transparency.”

The joinder parties are therefore calling on the main political parties in the National Assembly to eschew “harmful and polarizing politics” by permitting the only interlocutor in Parliament, a voice in these Parliamentary committees in Guyana’s interest, the release added.