In keeping with a commitment by his party to inclusive governance, President Irfaan Ali yesterday announced that he has invited all former presidents to a meeting on December 15th to discuss national development.
“It will be an open-flow meeting where we bring together all the former presidents. I think that it will be an opportunity for us to continue to share ideas, generate ideas to talk about how we see Guyana’s development from our different perspectives; and then to work out a model and a framework of how we engage in the future and how we have continuous contribution,” Ali said on the sidelines of the launch of the Canada Guyana Chamber of Commerce yesterday afternoon at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre.
The living former presidents are Bharrat Jagdeo, who is now Vice President, Donald Ramotar, Samuel Hinds and Ali’s immediate predecessor, David Granger.
Ali said that all of the invitations went out yesterday andt could not readily say if there has yet been confirmation by any of the former presidents.
Granger, who has kept a low profile since demitting office at the start of August, could not be reached for comment.
Former President Donald Ramotar confirmed receipt of his invitation and he said he looks forward to what he explained will be a working lunch engagement with Guyana’s new President.
He said that he remains optimistic that Granger would form an active part of the engagement, putting the country ahead of any personal feelings he may harbour towards Ali or his PPP/C.
Sources close to the PPP/C told this newspaper that it is “a given” that both former presidents Hinds and Jagdeo would be present.
At his inauguration, Ali had noted the PPP/C’s pledge to pursue inclusionary Constitutional Governance in its manifesto and emphasised his intention to see implementation.
“To do so will require certain constitutional reforms which we will be formulated in consultation with the people. We will conduct a national conversation in which all ideas will contend, and all voices will be heard,” he had said then.
