Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton yesterday said that he and the parliamentary opposition met with a delegation of New York state officials to discuss matters such as alleged racism and discrimination under the Irfaan Ali-led government.
At the meeting with the delegation led by New York State Senator, Roxanne J. Persaud, Senator Kevin Parker and Assemblywoman Alicia Hyndman, the Opposition Leader told the Sunday Stabroek that the NY state officials were briefed on allegations of discrimination towards Afro-Guyanese and manipulation of the Guyana Police Force by the PPP/C government.
“Essentially, we outlined to them the level of discrimination in our society, the discrimination in relation to the issuance of contracts and moreso the politicization of the police force by the government, which we believe is a sign of authoritarianism because the force must act independently”, he told this newspaper.
“We gave examples of a former minister whose rape charge was dropped by the DPP, while attention is being directed to charging of opposition members, this is a clear indication of double standards under the PPP/C and that is what we brought to their attention.
“We made it known that this government is corrupt and Guyana is currently emerging as a one-party state”, Norton told this newspaper
The People’s National Congress Reform Leader said that the delegation was also apprised of what he said were PPP/C-dominated Neighbourhood Democratic Councils taking advantage of pro-opposition communities in the delivery of infrastructural works.
Issues such as the alleged mismanagement of Guyana’s Oil & Gas sector, the government’s absence from many Public Accounts Committee meetings and the ineptitude of several public service agencies were also raised with the visiting NY State delegation, Norton informed.
Asked by the Sunday Stabroek if the New York State officials were informed of the Opposition and Government meeting on the growing tensions with and threat by Venezuela, Norton replied in the affirmative.
He said that the delegation was apprised of the latest actions by Venezuela in pursuit of its spurious claim to Guyana’s Essequibo and that he and President Ali had agreed that Guyana’s sovereignty is of paramount importance and is a matter on which the Guyanese people are all completely united.
He said that delegation upon learning this agreed that at no point should the Venezuelan Government undermine Guyana’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Prime Minister Mark Phillips on Friday met with the delegation at the Office of the Prime Minister on Camp Street.
The discussions were premised on enhancing cooperation and promoting greater dialogue with the Guyanese diaspora.
Prime Minister Phillips in a statement described the meeting as a “meaningful encounter” while reaffirming the Government’s unwavering commitment to good governance and its readiness to collaborate with partners to advance national development.
“As a government, we are committed to good governance in Guyana. The delivery of goods and services in an equitable manner to all the people of Guyana. We are committed to upholding the democratic traditions of Guyana. We believe in democracy; we believe in the rule of law and we strongly believe that we must remain engaged and must strengthen the bonds with Guyanese in the diaspora”, he was quoted in the statement saying.
“Furthermore, the visiting officials gained valuable insights into the Government’s inclusive policies and its ambitious agenda for development in various sectors, including healthcare, education, and the national housing programme”, the statement highlighted.
Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony; Minister of Education; Priya Manickchand; Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister, Kwame McCoy; Foreign Secretary, Robert Persaud; Chief Executive Officer of the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA), Sherwyn Greaves and Chief Development Planner CH&PA, Germene Stewart were also at the meeting.
Also on Friday, President Irfaan Ali discussed the growth and development of Guyana when he hosted the New York State officials at a luncheon at State House.
A release from the Office of the President said that discussions surrounded the development of social services, energy, education, infrastructure, labour and healthcare.
President Ali also used the opportunity to enlighten the visiting delegation on Guyana’s development plans, which include digitalisation and use of AI technology, food and energy security drive and smart healthcare infrastructure, among others.
US legislators at the national and state level have been paying increased attention to Guyana and several teams have visited in recent years and others are expected. The opposition has been lobbying the state and national legislators on a variety of issues. While in opposition, the current PPP/C government had also lobbied significantly in relation to the bid in 2020 to rig the general elections here.
