The Merundoi movement is still hopeful that it can have a discourse among the presidential candidates and is making a last minute effort to ensure that all of the invitees show up.
This is according to Executive Director of Merundoi Margaret Lawrence in a comment to Stabroek News yesterday.
The event is billed for this evening at the Theatre Guild Playhouse Kingston at 18:00 hours. The Alliance For Change’s Presidential Candidate Khemraj Ramjattan and A Partnership for National Unity’s (APNU) David Granger have confirmed their participation in the Merundoi forum.
However, Campaign spokesperson for the PPP/C Romel Roopnarine said that PPP/C Presidential Candidate Donald Ramotar will not take part in the forum, citing scheduling conflicts with campaign work.
Lawrence said that the debate will be broadcast live on the Demerara Waves online blog and that it is to be broadcast on TVG Ch. 28 on Sunday at 21:00 hours.
Lawrence said that with regard to the format, each of the candidates will be asked to present on their Manifestos and then field questions both from the audience and from those persons who emailed questions beforehand.
She said that each of the candidates will be allowed the same number of invitations to allow their supporters to come to the event and she gave the assurance that no one candidate will face the brunt of the questions. Lawrence said that the format of the Merundoi debate will allow for each participant to have a right of reply, should another say something that they deem needful of clarification.
She said that the moderator for the event is veteran communications expert Abraham Poole.
Asked for an update as to which of the contestants have responded to the invitation to participate in the debate, Lawrence said that she is still engaging all of them to ensure that they respond positively.
She noted that she does not expect that the cancellation of the debate that had been planned for yesterday at NCN studios to have any impact on the Merundoi event. “The format is different, I am involving the public,” she said.
Asked what might have prompted the Merundoi movement to involve itself in a Presidential debate, given its more widely known role in producing a radio serial, she said that the mission statement encompasses addressing issues of governance.
Due to the non-participation of the AFC and the APNU over concerns about equal access to the State media, the NCN debate has been cancelled. The PPP/C had indicated its willingness to participate in the debate on NCN.
