Opp MPs sidelined from Parliament’s toy distribution – APNU/AFC

APNU+AFC Coalition says its members of parliament have been sidelined from the Parliament of Guyana’s annual toy drive. In a statement on Wednesday, the coalition said that it noted that Minister Deodat Indar along with Parliamentary Secretary Vickash Ramkissoon were photographed distributing toys to children in what the coalition described as government “strongholds” in Region 3.

The Coalition said that the annual toy distribution hosted by the Speaker of the National Assembly “has now been usurped by the PPP as a number of Ministers and Members of Parliament have been spotted with Parliament staff sharing out toys in various communities.”

The APNU+AFC coalition said too that it is concerned that “the Speaker of the National Assembly has decided that the staff of the institution who are supposed to remain impartial, could be made to do political work on behalf of the PPP.”

“Mr. Manzoor Nadir has chosen to ignore his constitutional duty as Speaker, displaying his partisan nature while forcing his staff to be used as political pawns,” the coalition said in its statement.

The coalition said too that none of its members were invited to be a part of any toy distribution.

On Wednesday, Deputy Speaker and Opposition Member of Parliament Lennox Shuman in a Facebook post said that the Speaker had recalled the entourage and toys that were headed to the village of Pakuri, well known as St Cuthbert’s Mission.

This publication understands that the entourage was on its way to the village located on the Soesdyke Highway when for unknown reasons it had to return to the city. This publication understands that Government MP Alister Charlie was expected to join the toy distribution but was not there. Mr Shuman reportedly had joined the toy distribution entourage when it was told to return to the city.