A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance For Change (AFC) met again yesterday to continue the exploratory process of a fashioning a framework for joint engagement in the National Assembly, and the shaping of a common agenda that takes into account the needs of the Guyanese people and the Parties’ commitments made during the just concluded campaign.
A joint statement today said that the representatives discussed an array of issues relating to governance, and the economic wellbeing of the state and its citizens. They encompassed “wide-ranging parliamentary reforms leading to a strong and participatory National Assembly, support for the strengthening of the rule of law, the lowering of the Value Added Tax, and increasing public service wages, among the most urgent. Increases in Old Age Pension, increase of public sector wages and a re-examination of the Presidents’ Pension package were also listed for review.”
The statement added that in the interest of arriving at a consensual agenda and building healthy relations in the National Assembly, two sectoral working groups, in the areas of governance and the economy, were set up to fast-track the process.
It added that the issue of the appointment of the Speaker of the National Assembly, and other important matters remain under active discussion for resolution as part of a fuller menu of agreed measures.