Opposition Leader Jamal Pringle has accused the government of increasingly bypassing Parliament and excluding both elected representatives and the public from major national decisions.
Speaking on Observer Radio’s _Voice of the People_ on Tuesday, Pringle argued that key policy decisions with far-reaching implications have been negotiated without adequate parliamentary scrutiny or public consultation.
“When you look at this whole third-country deportee situation, the first thing that should have happened when this came up is for the government to call the members of the opposition and start the dialogue,” Pringle said.
He said the government should have shared information with the opposition and consulted the public before advancing negotiations.
“They share the information surrounding this situation and you start the consultation with the people. This is not a situation that you handle just as government because, again, it’s going to affect the entire country,” he said.
Pringle said he had previously called on Prime Minister Gaston Browne to publish the memorandum of understanding governing the proposed third-country deportee arrangement and table it in Parliament.
“I would have asked some time ago for the Prime Minister to publish the MOU, lay before Parliament all the information on this matter so that we, as parliamentarians, can be aware of the situation,” he said.
The Opposition Leader argued that Parliament has been denied the opportunity to properly scrutinize decisions with significant national consequences, including matters relating to immigration and international agreements.
He also criticized what he described as the government’s broader approach to transparency, saying opposition members have repeatedly sought information through parliamentary questions without success.
“We would have reached out to the government on several occasions, even utilizing Parliament to ask questions and to ask for them to install the Information Commissioner,” Pringle said.
Pringle noted that although an Information Commissioner was eventually appointed, he contended the office remains unable to function effectively.
“I think it’s about two years now. He has been on the job,” Pringle said, adding that the commissioner still does not have an office from which to operate.
According to Pringle, the lack of parliamentary oversight and limited access to government information undermine accountability and public confidence.
The government has maintained that it acts in the national interest and has indicated that a White Paper outlining the proposed third-country deportee arrangement will be presented to Parliament. Prime Minister Browne has also defended the administration’s engagement with international partners, saying negotiations have been conducted as part of the government’s responsibility to protect Antigua and Barbuda’s interests.
This article was originally published by Antigua News Room. Read the original article here: Opposition Accuses Government of Sidestepping Parliament on Major National Decisions.