A delegation representing 28 civic and religious organisations on Thursday met with the APNU-AFC leadership to present a number of policy recommendations they are hoping to persuade the contesting parties to the upcoming elections to adopt.
In presenting the Consensus Statement ‘Forward-Looking Strategies’ Kerry-Anne Cort noted that the recommendations emerged from two consultative events and were considered priority implementable issues. In her address to the APNU-AFC Coalition which comprised Dr Rupert Roopnaraine who chaired the meeting, APNU-AFC Prime Ministerial candidate Moses Nagamootoo, Raphael Trotman, Joe Harmon, David Patterson, Mark Archer, Nicole Henry and Imran Khan, Cort said the recommendations incorporated the theme ‘Accountability’ and were grouped into sub-themes relating to political life, the environment and corruption, a press release from the Guyana Human Rights Association said.
In his presentation Larry Carryl gave a detailed account about the recommendations for political reform, highlighting the calls for a return to single-seat constituencies in which direct accountability and communication between voters and candidates could be established. A call was also made for the reform of the political control of information in order to facilitate access to reliable, accurate and full information, an essential ingredient for effective accountability.
Jocelyn Dow spoke on the recommendations relating to the environment which called for a more vigorous regime of monitoring and control of the extractive industries and a more realistic and less complacent attitude to environmental protection. The group submitted that forestry and mining licences should only be granted in areas where effective monitoring was possible by the relevant agencies.
They also called for a ban on river mining; reinforcing the existing ban on Styrofoam and the reduction of the use of plastics.
Mike McCormack introduced the recommendations with respect to financial accountability to drastically reduce bribery and corruption in the Public Service in conjunction with raising salaries as an incentive to offset bribery. Protection for whistle-blowers, Parliamentary oversight of all public funds and an early review of the operations and purposes of NICIL were recommended to strengthen probity with respect to public finance.
Following an exchange of views, Nagamootoo said the Coalition would never overlook recommendations. “…if we are to embrace all this I don’t think we can go wrong but whether we can fulfil all this is another issue that has to do with praxis.
It has to do with the reality we will face,” he said.
The civil society group included representatives from the Ann’s Grove Community Development committee, the Amerindian Peoples Association, the Benab Foundation, the Guyana Citizens’ Initiative, the GHRA, Guyanese Organisation of Indigenous Peoples, the Guyana Society for the Blind, General Workers Union, Rights of the Child, Rotaract Club of the University of Guyana, St John’s RC Church-Plaisance.
The group is awaiting a response to its request for an opportunity to meet with the PPP/C leadership, the press release said.
