According to a release from GINA, President Bharrat Jagdeo did not invite anyone to the Presidential Suite and consequently neither he nor the government had any obligation to provide hospitality.
The release said that on this occasion the entire stadium (including the Presidential Suite) was placed under the control of and was ticketed by the West Indies Cricket Board. Consequently “a number of persons occupying the suite were there by virtue of having purchased tickets for that location. The Office of the President was provided with a limited number of complimentary tickets issued by the WICB for the suite” and these were distributed to Members of Cabinet, Parliament, the Diplomatic Corps among other persons the release stated. These tickets were intended to permit the holder to admission and occupancy of a seat in the suite.
According to the release, these complimentary tickets did not represent an invitation by the President, who had earlier in the day departed the country on official travel. The release stated that it was “inconceivable…that a complimentary ticket intended to provide admission into the suite could be misconstrued as an invitation by His Excellency and, worse yet, entitlement to hospitality provided by His Excellency.” It added that is an “act of poor taste and lack of grace that the recipient of a complimentary seating ticket to a public event that was not hosted by the government should expect in turn complimentary refreshments.”
The release further stated that “when the government or state hosts any event at the stadium and invites individuals to the Presidential Suite/Box we accept and recognize the convention of providing hospitality.”
