Central Corentyne Chamber condemns opposition behaviour in Parliament

The Central Corentyne Chamber of Commerce on Friday condemned what it termed, “the shocking and ugly behaviour” of Opposition Members in Parliament last Wednesday.

The Chamber in a release said that the actions of the Opposition “vividly reminds one of the disgraceful attempts to rig the 2020 General Elections, and in our view, will only take the (APNU+AFC) further down the road to disrepute, and will make their job of attracting independent voters almost impossible.”

The Chamber noted that, “Instead of having their opposition to the NRF (Natural Resource Fund) bill, permanently and coherently, noted in the records of Parliament forever, they [the Opposition] engaged instead, in pandemonium and roguish behaviour.” The Chamber’s release said it hopes that the Speaker of the House takes the necessary action to hold accountable all those involved.

In direct comments on the NRF Act 2021, the Chamber acknowledged that “a bit more time could have been given to examine the provisions of the Bill”, but nevertheless stated that, “our Chamber is satisfied that the Natural Resource Fund Bill is generally fairly well crafted and have adequate provisions to ensure that the Government is held accountable.” The Chamber opined that it was “a travesty that the bill had to be passed without any debate in parliament”, but sought to encourage “all civil society groups to be constructive instead of just criticizing the government on this matter.’ The release applauded the passing of the Local Content Bill, expressing “hopes that Guyanese will take full advantage of the opportunities that would present itself.”