Latest update May 14th, 2024 12:59 AM
Dec 31, 2011 Letters
DEAR EDITOR,
Just two quotes from ProChancellor Misir’s letter, KN December 28th.
(1) “….and the opposition majority should have no input into the Government’s determination of this executive agenda”.
This is a factually incorrect statement. The definition of government is the Administration (Executive – President and his Cabinet) and the Legislature. In the ProChancellor’s mind Government = Executive.
The government is constituted of both the Executive and the Legislature, not the Executive only.
Ask any Senator or Congressman in the United States, and he will tell you he is a member of the government. It is the same in all democratic societies: the legislature is part of the government.
(2) “Under existing constitutional arrangements and given the election outcomes on November 28 last, the People’s Progressive Party remains the ruling party with legitimacy to execute its executive responsibility”.
(a) What legitimacy? This constitution was imposed by a dictator through a process that involved a fraudulent referendum. Just because the ruling Indo-ethnic PPP decided to accept this corrupted document as the Basic Law of the nation, it doesn’t mean it is legitimate.
(b) Even if legitimate (ProChancellor is arguing for “legitimacy”), the clauses that allow for a minority party to assume the Office of the presidency present a grave contradiction. This contradiction renders the operation and processes of government unworkable, impractical and meaningless.
It is all but impossible for President Ramotar to negotiate and win support from an Opposition group for every single Bill to be introduced in parliament.
If we need a good teach-in on how government works in the event of no party winning a majority, look to UK. There the Conservative party negotiated with the Liberal party not for support for a single bill but for a program – and in return for its support offers the Liberals a share of Executive power and seats in the Cabinet.
What President Ramotar is doing (refusing to work out a deal for support from an Opposition party) is unprecedented and unworkable. Time will tell.
ProChancellor has sunk to new lows. He will argue in support for almost any position.
Mike Persaud
Listen how to run an oil country
May 14, 2024
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