Speaker of the National Assembly, Manzoor Nadir, on Tuesday night defended his stewardship of Parliament, in a nationally televised address that also condemned what he described as “violent, vicious and unprecedented” attacks against him by We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) leader Azruddin Mohamed and others.
Speaking during a live broadcast on the National Communications Network (NCN), Nadir said he had been subjected to sustained personal abuse, false accusations, and intimidation, which he said extended to protests outside his home and threats against his family.
“I wish I had been heard before I was maligned by Azruddin Mohamed, an international fugitive offender, and his supporters,” Nadir said, adding that in his 45 years of public life, more than 33 of them as an elected official, he had never experienced such attacks.
The Speaker rejected allegations of corruption and sanctions, insisting that neither he nor his family has ever been indicted or sanctioned by the United States or any other authority. He also accused Mohamed and other opposition members of spreading falsehoods and badgering parliamentary staff, which he said undermines the dignity of the House.
Nadir also pushed back strongly against claims from sections of the media, members of the diplomatic community, and opposition figures that the National Assembly has been deliberately inactive since the 13th Parliament convened on November 3, 2025. He described such claims as “false and absurd.”
According to the Speaker, Parliament has remained functional administratively, with more than 90 questions and five motions received, analysed, processed, and communicated to opposition members through the Clerk of the National Assembly.
He further used the address to highlight democratic reforms and institutions established since 1992, including parliamentary committees, constitutional rights commissions, and the expansion of the private media, which he said have strengthened democracy and freedom of expression in Guyana.
At the end of his address, Nadir addressed the matter at hand, announcing that he had instructed the Clerk of the National Assembly to convene a meeting of all non-government Members of Parliament at 10:00h on Monday, January 26, for the election of the Leader of the Opposition. He said the meeting will take place ahead of the presentation of the National Budget and other matters on the Order Paper.
As the announcement was being made, Opposition MPs and supporters, led by WIN leader Azruddin Mohamed, mounted a peaceful protest outside Nadir’s home.
Mohamed is widely expected to be elected Opposition Leader, with his party having secured 16 of the 29 non-government seats in the new Parliament. Nadir, however, said he found himself in a “difficult constitutional position” presiding over the election of a leader he repeatedly described as an “international fugitive”.
“If opposition members of Parliament feel it morally right to elect an international fugitive, then the stain on our Parliament and our country rests solely with them,” the Speaker said, while stressing that he will proceed with the process regardless of the outcome.
“I am not going to be intimidated by any backyard or front-yard bully,” Nadir declared.
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