Speaker sends Opposition MPs to ‘Privileges’; Teixeira forgetful of PPPs disorderly conduct in House

Eight Opposition Members of Parliament were referred by Speaker Manzoor Nadir to the Committee of Privileges. This action follows a  Motion brought by PPP Member of Parliament and Chief Whip Gail Teixeira. The Motion, made under Standing Order #32 during the 35th sitting of the National Assembly on January 24, 2022 at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre was made by Teixeira for what she described as disorderly conduct, among other colorful adjectives.

The Privilege Motion brought by MP Gail Teixeira stated in part: “Wheras at the 34th sitting of the National Assembly, held on the 29th December 2021 at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre, members of the APNU+AFC Coalition conducted themselves in a grossly disorderly consummations and disrespectful manner, and in particular, repeatedly disregarded, disrespected and ignored the authority of the Assembly and that of the Speaker, thereby committing contempt and breaches of privilege.”

MP Teixeira named the following opposition Members of Parliament: Christopher Jones, Ganesh Mahipaul, Sherod Duncan, Natasha Singh-Lewis, Annette Ferguson, Vinceroy Jordan, Tabitha Sarabo-Halley, and Maureen Philadelphia.

MP Teixeira, in her motion, said that opposition MP Annette Furgesson and Vinceroy Jordan had tampered with the Mace, while opposition MP Tabitha Sarrabo-Haalley had entered the control room of the Arthur Chung Convention Centre and damaged equipment. MP Teixeira, apparently forgetting the raucous, feral behaviour of PPPC on December 11, 2018, after PPP MP Juan Edghill refused to leave the Chamber after being ordered to do so, then Speaker Bartland Scotland, said that the events of December 29 were in a manner never seen before.

Although MP Teixeira may have appeared to forget the PPPC’s behaviour, most Guyanese will recall the deplorable behaviour of PPPC Members on that sad day. Guyanese will recall too, one PPP Member screaming, “rape” in the hallowed chamber. Notably, a similar motion submitted by MP Christopher Jones to refer Members on the PPP side to the Privileges Committee for misconduct on that same occasion – December 29, 2021 – was deferred by Speaker Nadir to a later date on what appeared to be minor technical reasons involving stationery on which the motion was originally submitted by the Opposition Member of Parliament.

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