Speaker of the National Assembly Manzoor Nadir has sharply criticised sections of the diplomatic community, opposition figures and some media houses, accusing them of misrepresenting the work of Guyana’s Parliament and undermining the country’s democratic institutions.
In an address on Tuesday evening, Nadir said claims that the National Assembly has been deliberately inactive are “false and outright absurd,” insisting that Parliament has remained functional since the 13th Parliament was convened on November 3.
He said more than 90 questions and five motions have been received, analysed and processed by the Clerk of the National Assembly, with decisions communicated to opposition members.
Nadir also took issue with diplomatic comments regarding the absence of a Leader of the Opposition, arguing that the position’s vacancy does not automatically weaken democracy.
While expressing appreciation for the diplomatic community’s historic support for Guyana’s democracy, Nadir said some recent statements failed to acknowledge the country’s constitutional progress, including the expansion of parliamentary committees and the establishment of key oversight bodies such as the Integrity Commission, Public Procurement Commission, Local Government Commission and Ethnic Relations Commission.
The Speaker also addressed personal attacks made against him by opposition member Azruddin Mohamed, whom he repeatedly described as an international fugitive offender.
“I am not sanctioned by a US court. I am not indicted by a US court. I am not a fugitive,” Nadir said, adding that when faced with legal challenges in the past, he confronted them directly.
He accused Mohamed and his supporters of harassing his family, staging protests outside his Eccles home, conducting surveillance and making threats, which he said violated his constitutional rights.
“These events remind me of the darkest days in Guyana’s political history,” he said, drawing parallels with political unrest in 2000.
Nadir said he now faces an unprecedented constitutional dilemma, presiding over the election of a Leader of the Opposition when the presumptive nominee is an “international fugitive”.
“If opposition members feel it morally right to elect an international fugitive, then the stain on our Parliament and our country rests solely with them,” he said.
He warned that such a development would be without precedent in Guyana’s Westminster parliamentary tradition.
The Speaker insisted he would not be intimidated.
“No international fugitive, no wanted man or woman, nor their acolytes inside or outside of the House will face me,” he declared.
Nadir also referenced international recognition of his parliamentary work, quoting Inter-Parliamentary Union Secretary-General Martin Chungong, who praised his leadership in parliamentary diplomacy and advocacy for small developing states.
The Speaker said he remains committed to discharging his constitutional duties without fear or favour.
“I have never experienced such vile attacks in over 45 years of public life, but I will continue to honour and uphold the Constitution of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana,” Nadir said.
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