ACCC being readied for Parliament

PREPARATIONS are in full swing for the commencement of the 12th Parliament on Tuesday at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC). When the Guyana Chronicle visited on Sunday, there was a flurry of men and women at work ensuring that the necessary logistics were in place, inclusive of the health and safety measures to protect against the coronavirus.

President, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, in pursuance of the powers conferred upon him by Article 69 (1) of the Constitution of Guyana, issued Proclamation that the sitting of the 12th Parliament would take place at the ACCC which is more open-spaced when compared to the Parliament buildings.

Upon entrance to the centre, one of several health workers to be present on Tuesday was stationed at the door to test the temperature of those who enter and to administer hand sanitising sprays.

On the ground floor, several men were seen setting up tents, fetching chairs and even sprucing up some parts of the building with a fresh coating of paint. In strategic areas, sinks were placed and attached to a water source. The sinks all have foot pumps which eliminate the need for persons to use a knob to turn on the running water.

Inside the dome, there were purple-covered law books which are available to both the government and opposition sides of the National Assembly. These books were issued under the hand of the current attorney-general, Anil Nandlall, as such, they are referred to as the Nandlall’s edition of the Laws of Guyana.

They were all lined up on a desk on the front row. The Guyana Chronicle also noticed the special chair designated to the Speaker of the National Assembly while the mace, as required, will also be present on the day.

All other seats, where persons are allowed to sit, have been marked with green arrows above them. Each seat marked allows for the separation of one or two seats in between.

In a brief interview with the newspaper, Public Relations Officer at Parliament, Yannick December pointed out that four conference rooms on the two sides of the dome have been arranged to accommodate the government and opposition. The doors are labelled: Government Caucus Room, Prime Minister’s Lounge, Opposition Caucus room and Leader of the Opposition Lounge. There is also a First Aid room.

In the yard, tents will be set up to facilitate additional individuals such as drivers and the health team in place for any form of emergency. Later in the afternoon, a team of medical practitioners stopped by to ensure that all that had been set up was in keeping with the necessary COVID-19 guidelines.

Meanwhile, the Parliament Office’s technical team has already conducted a test run of the online systems which will cater for participation via Zoom on the day, another first for Parliament in Guyana. December said that the simulation went well and he can assure that all systems are ready. The entire sitting will be livestreamed on Facebook and on Parliament’s website. Preparations have also been put in place to cater for the media to cover the sitting.

With its 233, 336 votes garnered at the March 2 General and Regional Elections, the new PPP government has been allocated some 33 seats in the National Assembly.

The APNU+AFC Coalition with 217,920, has 31 seats while the joinder list of A New United Guyana (ANUG), the Liberty and Justice Party (LJP) and The New Movement (TNM) with 5,214 votes, have one seat.

By Proclamation dated December 27, 2019, issued under Article 70 (2) of the Constitution, the 11th Parliament of Guyana was dissolved on December 30, 2019.