A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) has decided not to participate in the televised debate series on NCN Channel 11 calling it flawed and skewed to one side and set up with a view to ambushing the Opposition.
The party issued a statement on the issue at a press conference held at the Office of the Leader of the Opposition yesterday.
Three out of the proposed seven debates have been completed so far and it is the view of observers that these sessions are for the most part stage-managed to favour Government. The first debate, held two Sundays ago dealt with the Amaila Falls Hydroelectric Project while the second, held last Wednesday, dealt with the proposed Marriott hotel while the third, on the expansion of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri was held on Sunday night.
“After the first [debate] in which Carl Greenidge, MP, represented APNU it became clear to us that the entire format was flawed. This in addition to other issues which we subsequently raised with NCN informed a decision by the Leadership Council of APNU not to participate in these debates,” APNU said in the statement.
“We wish to make it absolutely clear that we are prepared to debate the Government on any issue as it relates to national development as you have seen us do in the National Assembly however we will not be caught in an ambush set by the PPP/C Government executed by NCN Channel 11,” the statement said.
The statement said that on July 26, 2012 David Granger, Leader of the Opposition responded to an invitation from Michael Gordon to participate in “a face to face discussion programme on issues relating to certain sectors in society” by proposing a number of topics for discussion.
These were: the University of Guyana crisis, the Linden security crisis, the Local Government and municipal crisis, the Georgetown Nursing School crisis, the appointment of diplomats in Guyana’s Foreign Service, the Guyana Police Force reform, the establishment of a tripartite budget committee, the appointment of judges in the judiciary, social protection for vulnerable citizens and collective bargaining in the public sector.
“The NCN in its own wisdom decided to locate all the issues/crises within a random framework of corruption,” the statement said.
Further, the party said that that on the latest instalment of the debate on NCN aired last night, “certain statements concerning the participation of [APNU’s] representative were made by Government Ministers [and these] cast those APNU Members of Parliament in a very bad light and exposed them to public ridicule.”
