SPEAKER SAYS HE DISCUSSED PROCEDURES, NOT PERSONALITY WHEN HE MET DIPLOMATS.

By Travis Chase | HGP Nightly News|

Speaker of the National Assembly Manzoor Nadir has dismissed reports suggesting that his recent meeting with foreign diplomats focused on personalities, insisting that the discussions were strictly procedural and constitutional.

Speaking briefly to reporters on Thursday afternoon after emerging from a closed-door engagement with several diplomats at the Public Buildings, Nadir accused sections of the media of spreading what he described as “fake news” and misrepresenting the purpose of the meeting.

According to the Speaker, the engagement was a routine exchange centred on how Parliament functions and the procedures governing the election of office holders, including the Leader of the Opposition.

“We discussed how office holders are elected, including the election of the Leader of the Opposition, but we never discussed personalities—especially Mr. Azruddin Mohamed,” Nadir said.

The Speaker further claimed that members of the media had “ambushed” diplomats following the meeting and subsequently constructed an inaccurate narrative around the engagement. He maintained that the discussions were purely institutional and not political.

Nadir also disclosed that he has held similar discussions with a representative of the private sector, although he declined to provide specific details. He said those talks likewise focused on parliamentary operations, including the examination of questions for ministers, the functioning of the Order Paper, and the constitutional role of Parliament.

“These discussions were about how Parliament operates—how questions originate, how they are examined, and how they migrate onto the Order Paper. We spoke about our constitutional role,” the Speaker stated.

The comments come days after Nadir delivered a nationally televised address in which he strongly defended his conduct as Speaker and criticised what he described as unprecedented and aggressive attacks from the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party and its leadership.

In that address, the Speaker also levelled criticism at sections of the media and members of the diplomatic community, accusing them of overstepping their bounds and undermining parliamentary authority.

Despite Nadir’s assertion that procedure, not personality, guides his actions, some legal analysts argue that his public remarks and conduct raise questions about the selective application of parliamentary rules and increasing tension between the Speaker, the media, and opposition stakeholders.

As political scrutiny continues over the prolonged delay in appointing a Leader of the Opposition, the Speaker’s interactions with diplomats and the media remain under close public and institutional examination.#GuyanaPolitics
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