PPP MPs to camp out in Parliament until 10pm

With no electricity or Air Conditioning, the People’s Progressive Party parliamentarians continue a sit-in, in the Chambers of the National Assembly and have decided to do so until 10pm – the time at which the day’s business was scheduled to conclude.

The decision follows attempts to remove PPP MP, Juan Edghill from the Committee of Supply for failing to honour an order of the Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr Barton Scotland to sit.

Following a meeting with Speaker of the National Assembly, Leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo said: “we are going to sit here until the end of the day.”

He noted that the meeting did not conclude with any agreement though he suggested to the Speaker that the day’s sitting is adjourned.

The Speaker asked Edghill to sit after he stood to clarify an item presented under the Ministry of the Presidency’s budget, but the Speaker said the time to do so would have expired.

Jagdeo said the matter, however, has gone beyond the Speaker’s ruling on whether Edghill should remain in the chamber and he informed the Speaker of such.

“Subsequent actions of agents of the Parliament have led to police coming here and the assault on many of our Members of Parliament so it’s not a straightforward issue of a breach of the standing order any longer. It has several dimensions and the only thing we can do diffuse this situation is to adjourn for the day,” the Opposition Leader said.

The only Government Minister remaining in the Chamber is Minister within the Ministry of the Presidency, Dr. Rupert Roopnarine.

Meanwhile, in an interview with the Department of Public Information, Minister of State, Joseph Harmon said “the PPP must know that the Speaker’s ruling must be obeyed and they can stay in there for as long as they want but it has to be obeyed” or there will be no order.