‘I stood up for a just cause’ – Edghill

Opposition People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Member of Parliament Juan Edghill says he is “made of steel” and does not feel sanctioned in any way by the Government’s move to have him suspended from the National Assembly following a much-publicised incident which saw the Speaker describing him as “out of order”.
Edghill, speaking with Guyana Times International recently, said the PPP/C knew that there was, what he described as, “a diabolical plan” afoot to have him silenced through coercion and bullyism, and he vowed to not be pressured or bullied by any political party or the Speaker of the National Assembly while representing the people of Guyana.

“I don’t feel any way sanctioned so to speak by not being able to attend Parliament. If that is the intent of the Speaker and the Government, they have failed miserably. I feel honoured because my cause is a just cause and that just cause has been known by people locally, regionally and internationally. I have been unable to answer all the calls, emails and other forms of communication of support that have come from lawmakers, church leaders, social activists and ordinary citizens, because what led to my suspension was bringing to public notice the unwillingness of Government to allow for transparency and accountability,” he explained.
Edghill said that while he believed in following established rules and parliamentary principles, standing up for what was just and right would always take precedence in his book. He recalled the ruling of the Speaker that he was “out of order” before disclosing that “he did not mind being out of order because he was advancing a just cause”.
“I never contested the Speaker’s ruling…I will abide by the so-called punishment but look at it from this perspective, if Rosa Parks had given up her seat, you know what would have happen to blacks and the civil rights movement today?” Edghill contended.
He said he was cognisant that the Government engineered the controversy so that his character may be maligned, but the incident has backfired on the political pundits in the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) camp.
Addressing the issue of the apparent extension of his suspension which should have ended last month, the PPP/C parliamentarian said that the motive was clear. He relayed that the Speaker’s unilateral decision to interpret the motion moved by Government’s Chief Whip Amna Ally spoke volumes.
Speaker Dr Barton Scotland and Clerk of the National Assembly, Sherlock Isaacs wrote Edghill last week explaining that he could not attend Wednesday’s sitting of Parliament because there was some confusion as to when his suspension actually took effect. This is despite the fact that Ally’s motion was quite clear on the date when the suspension would end.
But the letter said that the suspension took effect from the 80th sitting even though Edghill was barred from entering Parliament on the 79th sitting.
Edghill believes that this was deliberately done because he would have to address Parliament when it would meet on Wednesday, as the first order of business on the order paper was a motion which he submitted on the fatal Camp Street Prison fire and fiasco. “This is an attempt to interfere with the motion being debated and silence me from speaking in the Parliament. However, I have since handed over the motion to our Opposition Chief Whip, Gail Teixeira,” Edghill revealed.
Asked whether he had concerns about the Speaker’s impartiality in the future when it came to him, given the recent incident, Edghill responded in the negative, but not before explaining his reason for adopting such a stance.
“The Speaker is not my political enemy. I am an elected representative of the people of this country. The Speaker cannot share those same sentiments. I will not be getting into a fight with the Speaker. He is a mere conduit of the wishes of the Government, so whether he can be described as impartial or not is for the citizenry to decide,” the Opposition MP explained.
He said that the incident which was meant for evil has resulted in good for him.