Since Advisor on Governance Gail Teixeira sent out emails to the leaders of the opposition parties over the course of the last two weeks inviting them to meet, there has been little movement since scheduling a time that suits everyone is proving more difficult than expected.
Speaking to Stabroek News on Tuesday at the end of a press conference hosted by the Parliament of Guyana and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), Teixeira said that she sent out emails and up to that time she was awaiting a response from the parties.
“Once again on behalf of His Excellency the President I sent out emails to the leaders of the parties inviting them to name a date for a plenary meeting which is outstanding. We need to discuss a number of issues that are pending. I haven’t got a response as yet from either the APNU or the AFC,” Teixeira said.
“However I did convene my subcommittee of the inter-parliamentary party dialogue and we will be meeting [today],” she said.
Speaking to the Stabroek News, Cathy Hughes of the AFC said that the party is ready to move forward with talks and all that is left to be done is to fix a date. She said that the AFC has not confirmed a date for that meeting.
On the status of the meetings, economic front man of APNU and former Finance Minister under the PNC administration Carl Greenidge said that as far as he knows, there has been no action in relation to meeting. He said it is quite possible that the invitation sent by Teixeira is being processed with regard to finalising what is to be discussed at the meeting and when the meeting would take place. He said that APNU has not yet taken a decision as to what will be discussed.
Greenidge went on to slam the government for cultivating an attitude where nothing in the committees get concluded. “One has to make sure that meaningful exchanges will take place,” he said.
Postponement
of sitting
In a notice to parliamentarians, Deslyn West, Registry Supervisor on behalf of the Clerk of the National Assembly informed them that the sittings of the National Assembly which were scheduled for Wednesday, May 30 and Thursday May 31, 2012 have been postponed to Wednesday, June 6, and Thursday, June 7, 2012, respectively.
Stabroek News was subsequently able to confirm that one opposition MP and one parliamentary staff member will be travelling during Wednesday and Thursday, which is why the sittings in Parliament have been pushed back by one week.
The opposition has a one-seat majority over the government, and would need all their members present in the House for the consideration of bills, motions or any other matters which might require a vote.
Just after the historic budget cuts made during the examination of the estimates, both government and opposition said that they would continue to seek solutions through dialogue. Talks between APNU and the President following the budget cuts have yielded an increase in the old age pension from $8,100 to $10,000. The opposition had put on a table a menu of issues that it wanted addressed by the government, including VAT reduction, Linden electricity tariff, the Berbice Bridge toll and a $2 billion fund for depressed communities.
