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December 14,2017

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David Granger

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo needs to address behavioural challenges among  his party’s parliamentarians as their actions in disrupting his speech to the National Assembly last month and last Monday’s ruckus in the House are disrespectful and vulgar, President David Granger says.

“I think that the treatment meted out to me on the 2nd of November was completely uncalled for and think the treatment meted out to the Speaker (on Monday)  is completely uncalled for and I think that the Leader of the Opposition needs to deal with these cultural issues in his party,” Granger said yesterday at State House after accepting letters of credence for a new envoy.

As Granger last month delivered his address to the National Assembly, following its recess, opposition People’s Progressive Party/Civic MPs pulled out placards and began chanting which drowned out most of his speech.

Amidst the chants and the government members’ intermittent thumping of their desks and shouts of support at some points, the president could not be heard. On a few occasions, he could be seen looking at Speaker Dr. Barton Scotland, who hit his gavel on a number of occasions to no effect. Apart from the hitting of the gavel, Scotland made no attempt to curtail the sometimes raucous behaviour of the opposition members.

“Storytelling time,” “Same speech” and “What about respect for the constitution?” were some of the jeers from the PPP/C members during Granger’s address. Jagdeo could be heard over his fellow members, asking “What about Gecom?” “Untrustworthy,” he loudly proclaimed, and “What about respect for the constitution?”

Granger would call the acts vulgar and refer to the MPs as “vulgarians” when he spoke at a People’s National Congress (PNC) meeting in Atlanta, Georgia afterwards.

Then on Monday, the Committee of Supply, which was going through Budget 2018 estimates, descended into chaos as PPP/C MPs faced off against the police over a bid to physically remove PPP/C member Juan Edghill from the parliament chamber.

Some PPP/C members claimed they were assaulted in the ensuing melee. Some were also seen assaulting policemen.

The confusion started shortly before a scheduled break in the afternoon when Scotland decided that he would allow no further questions on the estimates for the Ministry of the Presidency, since the allotted time for it had expired.

Edghill, who had a belligerent attitude throughout the morning session and at one time was cautioned for shouting, continued pointing out that there were four other agencies under the ministry and more time was needed to scrutinize the estimates.

Scotland told him to take his seat and he refused and he was then ordered to be removed from the House since he was out of order.

A defiant Edghill shouted that he was not leaving and as Scotland called for the Sergeant-at-Arms to escort him out, he took his seat and refused to be moved.

As the Sergeant-at-Arms remonstrated with him, Edghill, with the support of his colleagues, remained seated. Scotland informed that the Sergeant-at-Arms should seek assistance and left the chamber.

The police were called in and some opposition members claimed they physically assaulted them. The ruckus resulted in the adjournment of Monday’s proceedings but PPP/C parliamentarians remained in the parliament chamber with Edghill until late into the night in a show of solidarity with him.

It is still unclear who called the police and Scotland on Monday evening said it was not him and when approached the Clerk of the National Assembly, Sherlock Isaacs, said he was unaware.

Granger said that he hopes that it is the first and last time such chaos is seen in  parliament.

“This is the level of vulgarity I referred to since the 2nd of November. We have never seen it before and I hope we never see it again. Vulgarity is vulgarity you know, and there is no place for that in the National Assembly. There is a very poor display on the part of Mr. Edghill and his colleagues and to demonstrate to the public and to our children that the honourable house should be seen as such a disorderly show,” he said.

“I can’t imagine that the Chancellor of the Judiciary would have to put up with that in the High Court. She is the head. I can’t believe that the Speaker would have to be faced with that form of vulgarity. We have three branches of government, the judicial, legislative and executive, and every branch has its head and the head of the legislative branch must be treated with respect. We don’t treat the chancellor like that, we don’t treat the speaker like that and we don’t treat the president like that,” he added.

He said that he doesn’t have a problem meeting with the opposition at any time about any matter he wants to raise with him and discussions of a way of resolving the matter would be acquiesced.

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“I think that the treatment meted out to me on the 2nd of November was completely uncalled for and think the treatment meted out to the Speaker (on Monday)  is completely uncalled for and I think that the Leader of the Opposition needs to deal with these cultural issues in his party,” Granger said yesterday at State House after accepting letters of credence for a new envoy."


 

Me thinks Granger is out of line and it's offensive,

one Minister said she don't have to be "Chatree"to know Hindu holidays.

Now Granger is saying the PPP have cultural issues,bear in mind majority of the supporters are East Indian.

Am i too sensitive ?

Django
Last edited by Django

Django, good comment! You picked up on the coded words used to transmit racism and cultural insensitivity. 

Granger has lost all right to speak about right or wrong. It was the pnc that was raucous during sittings in parliament during the previous government's term, who made the unilateral selection of the chairman of GECOM, who by decisions of the CJ has done several unconstitutional and illegal acts.

does he not expect to get blowback? What other tools in midterm does the opposition have? Maybe, he forgot that what is good for the goose is good for the gander.

Z
Zed posted:

Django, good comment! You picked up on the coded words used to transmit racism and cultural insensitivity.

Some of the Politicians thinks they are smart,it's definitively a coded message.

He should be confronted,daily he is making my hand fall.

Django
Last edited by Django
Django posted:

“I think that the treatment meted out to me on the 2nd of November was completely uncalled for and think the treatment meted out to the Speaker (on Monday)  is completely uncalled for and I think that the Leader of the Opposition needs to deal with these cultural issues in his party,” Granger said yesterday at State House after accepting letters of credence for a new envoy."


 

Me thinks Granger is out of line and it's offensive,

one Minister said she don't have to be "Chatree"to know Hindu holidays.

Now Granger is saying the PPP have cultural issues,bear in mind majority of the supporters are East Indian.

Am i too sensitive ?

He is talking about organizational culture.  I have to agree with what he stated but his party is no better making him a hypocrite.

But it is time that people realize that Granger is a dunce in terms of leading a country.  He has no clue about governance.

FM
VVP posted:
Django posted:

“I think that the treatment meted out to me on the 2nd of November was completely uncalled for and think the treatment meted out to the Speaker (on Monday)  is completely uncalled for and I think that the Leader of the Opposition needs to deal with these cultural issues in his party,” Granger said yesterday at State House after accepting letters of credence for a new envoy."


 

Me thinks Granger is out of line and it's offensive,

one Minister said she don't have to be "Chatree"to know Hindu holidays.

Now Granger is saying the PPP have cultural issues,bear in mind majority of the supporters are East Indian.

Am i too sensitive ?

He is talking about organizational culture.  I have to agree with what he stated but his party is no better making him a hypocrite.

But it is time that people realize that Granger is a dunce in terms of leading a country.  He has no clue about governance.

Why not focus a bit on your own country?

Mitwah

Yesterday 2 plainclothes policemen occupied seats at the press table in parliament, pretending to be journalists. After the real reporters complained to the Clerk, they were told to scram. Who sent them there? Edghill is suspended and wasn't there. Granger must be told that sending police spies to parliament is bloody VULGAR.

FM
VVP posted:
Django posted:

“I think that the treatment meted out to me on the 2nd of November was completely uncalled for and think the treatment meted out to the Speaker (on Monday)  is completely uncalled for and I think that the Leader of the Opposition needs to deal with these cultural issues in his party,” Granger said yesterday at State House after accepting letters of credence for a new envoy."


 

Me thinks Granger is out of line and it's offensive,

one Minister said she don't have to be "Chatree"to know Hindu holidays.

Now Granger is saying the PPP have cultural issues,bear in mind majority of the supporters are East Indian.

Am i too sensitive ?

He is talking about organizational culture.  I have to agree with what he stated but his party is no better making him a hypocrite.

But it is time that people realize that Granger is a dunce in terms of leading a country.  He has no clue about governance.

I was leaning in that direction,hence my question of being too sensitive.

Looking at Guyana with a Multicultural Society,one have to be careful when using the word "Culture"..it can mean different things to the population.

Django
Last edited by Django
Gilbakka posted:

Yesterday 2 plainclothes policemen occupied seats at the press table in parliament, pretending to be journalists. After the real reporters complained to the Clerk, they were told to scram. Who sent them there? Edghill is suspended and wasn't there. Granger must be told that sending police spies to parliament is bloody VULGAR.

I mentioned about Burnham secret Police,PNC is known for spying on the population.

Django
Django posted:
Gilbakka posted:

Yesterday 2 plainclothes policemen occupied seats at the press table in parliament, pretending to be journalists. After the real reporters complained to the Clerk, they were told to scram. Who sent them there? Edghill is suspended and wasn't there. Granger must be told that sending police spies to parliament is bloody VULGAR.

I mentioned about Burnham secret Police,PNC is known for spying on the population.

And yet you are a staunch supporter of the corrupted and dictatorial Granger.

FM
Django posted:

I mentioned about Burnham secret Police,PNC is known for spying on the population.

In 1975 they were spying on me, according to a PPP comrade named Samuel of Vreed-en-Hoop. He told me he saw a list at the V-H police station with my name on it. The plan was to arrest me during the 1975 GAWU strike because I had spoken at some bottom-house meetings to sugar workers at Leonora and Anna Catherina with Maccie Hamid. But I was not arrested.

FM

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