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The PNCR
in turn has merely “favoured” the PPP/C with a response, merely
acknowledging it received the dialogue invitation, Cabinet Secretary Dr. Roger
Luncheon said yesterday.
He said
the invitation was issued to the PNCR on the heels of former U.S. President
Jimmy Carter’s visit to Guyana and concerns President Carter expressed about
the two major parties failing to resume their dialogue and resolve the
problems affecting the growth and development of the country.
Luncheon
told reporters the PPP/C administration was careful in the invitation “to
divorce itself from the PNCR ploy of demanding evidence of PPP/C good faith by
executing certain prior actions.”
“The
PPP/C administration is aware that there exists unfinished business but there
is no commitment by either party to, and the PPP/C has no interest in,
unilateral action to deal with any unfinished business,” he said at his
weekly post-Cabinet press briefing.
Some
of the critical issues outstanding are:
* parliamentary action on the Bi-Partisan Task Force on Border Security
and Government of Guyana representation,
* the
white paper on house lot/agricultural plot distribution, and
* the
appointment of constitutional commissions.
Luncheon
said that since the resolution of most of the outstanding issues hinges on
parliamentary debate, it would be unreasonable for any attempt to be made to
resolve these outside of the National Assembly.
“The
PPP/C administration continues to insist that the functioning of parliament
has unrealised potential for the resolution of outstanding matters,” he
said. “A properly functioning parliament is the bedrock of the
administration’s thrust to operationalise the constitutional reforms that
underpin the move to inclusive governance.”
President
Bharrat Jagdeo, at a press briefing on Tuesday afternoon, said he is always
willing to meet PNCR leader Robert Corbin, but felt parliament was the ideal
place for the two parties to meet, debate and reach decisions on important
public policy issues.
He said
Mr. Corbin turned down an earlier invitation to meet him because he (Corbin)
claimed the President was interested only in “photo opportunities.”
“I’m
not interested in photo opportunities,” Mr. Jagdeo responded. “I’ve got
a lot of work to do.”
The
Guyanese leader said he reminded President Carter, who the PNCR had told that
more constitutional reforms were needed to address the issue of inclusive
governance, that Guyana already has one of the most advanced and liberal
constitutions in the western hemisphere.
He
said the PNCR did not have a problem with the electoral system of Proportional
Representation (PR), which it changed from the constituency,
first-past-the-post system with British and American help prior to the 1964
elections.
“In 28
years, there was no problem with PR.” The PNC began finding fault with the
constitution after it lost power in 1992, he said.
“They
would only be satisfied, it seems, if they get power…but we’re not going
to legislate ourselves out of office,” he declared.
He said there has to be a period of building trust before any consideration can be given to executive power sharing, for it would be a tragedy for Guyana if a Cabinet consisting of representatives of both parties were to disagree and not be able to make decisions on critical matters of state. (ANTHONY CALDER)
BASS accused of extortion British team
PNC had no complaints against Constitution before ’92