Vice-Chairman of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine says Government’s preoccupation with the Opposition has sullied its stance on Syria and has manifested itself in the statement last week by Guyana’s Ambassador to the Organisation of American States (OAS) Bayney Karran.
Roopnaraine was speaking at a press conference held at the Office of the Leader of the Opposition on Monday.
“What is precarious is the state of the Government of Guyana. They seem to have the Opposition on their brain. The reason they abstained on the Syrian vote is because the resolution that was presented to the General Council did not allocate sufficient blame to the Opposition for contributing to the massacres there,” he said.
“Frankly, the abstention on the Syrian vote and the OAS statement should be seen as one line of argument. The line of argument is that all of this has come about because of the Opposition,” he said.
“Since the November 28, 2011 elections we are in a precarious situation because the Opposition controls the National Assembly,” he said on the Government’s rationale in the two positions taken.
“There is a precarious situation in Syria because of the Opposition. When the Syrian protests started, they started as peaceful protests in the streets by thousands and thousands of people who were set upon by tanks and aircraft.
Every hour that goes by President [Bashar al-Assad] is continuing to commit crimes against humanity in Syria,” Dr. Roopnaraine said.
“This is apparently not sufficient for the Foreign Ministry to take a position on principle on what is happening in Syria,” he said.
He said that the Government of Guyana has been blinded both in terms of Ambassador Karran ‘s presentation, which he called a one-sided and abysmal presentation of facts and events, and the Syrian vote. “I think you have to see these things as emanating from one preoccupation and that preoccupation is the responsibility that the Opposition [bears in both of these events],” he said.
