APNU parliamentarian Ganesh Mahipaul has questioned his party’s exclusion from a meeting with visiting German parliamentarians.
Speaking yesterday with Kiskadee Watch, Mahipaul said no APNU parliamentarian was invited or consulted about the engagement at Public Buildings, Georgetown. He rejected any suggestion that members of his party had left because the German delegation arrived late.
The issue arose after Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall SC posted on Facebook about his participation in the meeting.
“Several Opposition Members of Parliament, who were invited, did not await the delayed arrival of the visiting delegation,” Nandlall wrote.
Mahipaul said APNU learned of the engagement through that post and that the reference to absent opposition MPs attracted its attention.
In a subsequent Facebook response, he stated: “No member of the APNU Parliamentary Opposition team was invited to participate in the engagement with the German Bundestag delegation. Therefore, the Attorney General’s statement about Opposition MPs who allegedly did not await the delayed arrival of the visiting delegation cannot be attributed to the APNU Parliamentary Opposition.”
APNU’s chief parliamentary representative Terrence Campbell, when approached by Kiskadee Watch, said the partnership was neither consulted nor invited and was “definitely concerned”. He referred further questions to Mahipaul whom he described as the partnership’s chief whip.
WIN General Secretary and parliamentarian Odessa Primus, who attended the meeting, also questioned the absence of APNU and the Forward Guyana Movement.
In her own Facebook post, Primus said she raised their non-representation during the discussions and would have appreciated a larger contingent from WIN.
“While I relish the opportunity I believe in fairness, equal opportunities and representation for all,” she wrote.
Primus attributed the selection of Guyanese participants to Parliament, emphasising that the visiting delegation was not responsible.
Mahipaul told Kiskadee Watch that he had subsequently been informed that invitations were extended to the chairpersons of the parliamentary Foreign Relations, Economic Services and Natural Resources committees. He declined to identify the person who provided that explanation.
He argued that selecting committee chairpersons alone did not ensure adequate representation, since a chairperson could not automatically speak for an entire committee.
“At the end of the day, no chairperson of any parliamentary committee has the authority to speak unless the committee decides on a matter,” he said.
Mahipaul contended that Speaker of the National Assembly Manzoor Nadir should have exercised better judgment and invited representatives from both sides of the committees.
“It should have been more prudent on the Speaker to extend an invitation to a member of each side of the divide to participate,” he said.
Pointing to the Speaker’s experience, Mahipaul suggested that APNU’s absence might have resulted from a political decision.
“Beyond that, I conclude in my own deliberation, taking into account his wealth of experience, his ability and capacity, that it was perhaps a political move to exclude the APNU and just include his partners from WIN and the PPP,” he said.
Mahipaul expressly asked that this part of his remarks be included.
He added that any continuation of the approach would reinforce his conclusion that the arrangements favoured the Speaker’s “friends in WIN” and “friends in the PPP”, with “a deliberate attempt to exclude the APNU”.
Asked whether he had contacted the Speaker, Mahipaul said he had sought to understand the rationale for APNU not being invited but had not spoken directly with Nadir.
He said he had no intention of formally writing to either the Speaker or the Clerk of the National Assembly, arguing that their experience should enable them to recognise and correct the problem.
“It’s a matter of them using their wisdom to correct it in the best interest of the country,” he said.
Primus said the German delegation included members of governing and opposition parties and described their cooperation as an example of political maturity.
According to her account, discussions covered the cost of living, healthcare, wages and allegations of government corruption. Participants also exchanged experiences on parliamentary work and successful and unsuccessful projects.
She highlighted a discussion about publicly funded staffing support for German MPs, saying additional resources could help Guyanese parliamentarians discharge their responsibilities.
Nandlall said the engagement addressed historical relations, diplomatic ties and trade arrangements, as well as opportunities to strengthen cooperation between the two parliaments.
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