The combined opposition yesterday restated that there will be no extra-parliamentary talks with the government, piling further pressure on President Donald Ramotar to signal when the House will be reconvened or fresh elections called.
With Ramotar’s suspension of Parliament on Monday continuing to rankle the opposition, APNU yesterday announced a rally at the Square of the Revolution tomorrow at which the AFC will be present.
In his statement on Monday suspending parliament for what could be up to six months, Ramotar said that if there was no prospect of dialogue he would call early elections.
“The Joint Opposition have resolved that there will be no extra parliamentary engagement with the President on the matters which were before the National Assembly,” A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance For Change (AFC) proclaimed in a joint statement yesterday.
The statement added that “The Joint Opposition have further resolved that they will embark upon a series of measures dedicated to restoration of the National Assembly as the most appropriate venue for the discussion and consideration of affairs of the state and its people… The APNU and AFC will alert the international community, foreign missions and international and domestic business community that any contract, other than contracts for the supply of essential goods and services, entered into by the current administration during the period of (prorogation) will be subject to review and possible rescission upon the election of a new administration.”
The opposition groups contended that President Ramotar has “shut down” and “extinguished” any prospect of discussions with the opposition by proroguing Parliament which “is the highest and principal forum in which the people’s business is discussed.”
Leader of the AFC, Khemraj Ramjattan when asked by the Stabroek News if he would participate if the President requested a meeting said “I personally will not. Whatever he would want to tell us at that meeting he can say through the Press. We will duly respond in kind. This will be transparent enough. He has been so contemptuous to the Opposition recently and especially the AFC, I hardly can contemplate attending a meeting called by him.”
He said that the current situation by way of suspension of the National Assembly was “more than duress, it is bloody tyranny.”
“AFC will not have any engagements with Ramotar until he reconvenes Parliament. We will make this conditionality a non-negotiable! Parliament must never be expropriated from the duly elected people’s representatives by the Executive branch in this fashion in this day and age. The PPP has become a rogue Government now that it has prorogued this premier institution of the Republic,” Ramjattan said.
He revealed that letters for the international community had already been drafted and were sent to the APNU for revision and to be signed jointly with Leader of the Opposition David Granger.
APNU Executive Dr Rupert Roopnaraine stated that the letters to be disseminated to the various international agencies on behalf of the party included the Organisation of American States, the International Monetary Fund, the Inter-American Development Bank, the Caribbean Development Bank, the Union of South American Nations and Caricom.
Roopnaraine said that the coalition was unable to meet with the American, British, Canadian and European Union envoys yesterday and that a meeting was concretized for today at noon. The AFC has already met with the Western missions.
Meanwhile, the Leader of the House, Prime Minister Samuel Hinds told Stabroek News that he remains hopeful that there can be meaningful engagements and dialogue between the government and opposition.
Stabroek News asked Hinds what is the government’s strategy given the opposition’s firm stance that there will be no engagements as long as the prorogation stands. He said that officially the Office of the President was currently handling that aspect of the contentious issue.
Hinds told Stabroek News that “as the Leader of the House (for government business) I am very disappointed that we have reached this point.”
The Prime Minister said that “with respect to dialogue it might be difficult and challenging to imagine any success,” however he remained optimistic. He said that the decision to prorogue Parliament was fully supported by the Cabinet and that the no-confidence motion that was bound to be debated would have resulted in contentions. “We may have given as good as we may have gotten,” Hinds stated in relation to the probability of ensuing arguments had Monday’s Parliament sitting been convened and the no-confidence motion been up for debate.
