News
Guyana APNU claims victory in strategy to make government more accountable
(December 30, 2012)
APNU Vice-Chair Dr. Rupert Roopnraine said there were now more agency reports presented to the National Assembly as a result of the strategies adopted by the opposition. (Credit: globespanradio.com)
GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Friday December 28, 2012 – The opposition grouping, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) says it has forced the ruling People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) government to act more responsible in and out of Parliament.
The APNU and the other opposition party, the Alliance for Change (AFC), control 33 of the 65 seats in the National Assembly.
APNU said that the government started 2012 “in a confrontational and aggressive manner” and that the opposition has been able to oppose the ruling party “by its principled stand on several issues of national importance”.
APNU executive member Joseph Harmon, speaking at the party’s end of year news conference, said the opposition had been able to “force” the government to be more accountable and responsive to the National Assembly, the courts, the media and the general public.
He said together with the AFC, the opposition parties were able to assert the National Assembly’s authority over the government, warning however that the “struggle to reassert parliamentary democracy” is far from over and would intensify in 2013.
APNU Vice-Chair Dr. Rupert Roopnraine said there were now more agency reports presented to the National Assembly as a result of the strategies adopted by the opposition.
“Before this as you may know many of these entities have not been submitting financial reports, audited reports and what I can tell you is that many of these entities...have in fact produced financial audited reports, they are before us and I will say this is one of the achievements of the parliament in 2012,” he said.
“APNU did not win the last elections, we don’t have a government of national unity and what we are attempting to do is to ensure that accountability is achieved and to the extent that we were able to in the rather short tripartite discussions on the budget in 2012 to get agreement on the raise in the pension.
“We will continue to press on those particular matters in 2013, with the parliamentary strength that we have we will try to insist that these things do redound and benefit the people on the street because this is of course our greatest interest,” Dr. Roopnaraine added.