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President Irfaan Ali said he remains adamant that only as a united front the country can move forward and said he will continue to push a message of unity even as he pledged to be the President for all Guyana. But while saying all of this, Ali has refused to meet with the Leader of the Opposition whose party represents close to half of the voting population.
Over the weekend the President visited several communities in Berbice and Essequibo along with Sophia in Georgetown, where in addition to plans for development he also communicated the need for social harmony. “I want to bring the country together. You have a President who is willing to work with everyone,” the Guyanese leader is quoted as saying in a Depart of Public Information release. In his visit to Sophia on Saturday evening, the President told a gathering that he wanted to personally hear about their problems. “… I have to lead by example too and I don’t want to send a message to Sophia. I want to come here so you know I am here with you.”
The President assured the residents that he would visit the community often. Earlier in the day, the Head of State also told residents of Port Mourant that his objective is to help develop all of Guyana.
“We are a Government for all the people of our country. We are a Government that will take development to every single part of this country. We are a Government that will support farmers as we support our nurses, our teachers. We are a Government that will support the sugar industry and the rice industry as we support the bauxite industry, as we support the services industries….”
The President shared similar sentiments when he visited the islands of Leguan and Wakenaam and the Essequibo Coast on Sunday. He also pointed out that the relief measures in the emergency budget were implemented for the betterment all of Guyana. “Many persons doubted us, that we could achieve this. We have already achieved these things… for every single Guyanese, for all Guyanese whether you voted APNU or PPP…Every Guyanese will be benefiting from this…”
President Ali recently ruled out any political engagement with the opposition A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) unless he is recognised as the Head of State and Government by Opposition Leader Joseph Harmon. “Mr. Harmon must be honest enough to correct the wrongs he has done in that narrative and go out to the public and say the PPP (People’s Progressive Party) has been legitimately elected and it is the recognised government of Guyana and then we talk,” he was quoted by Demerarawaves as saying.
Harmon however said that the Constitution sets no pre-condition for engagement between the two sides. “I just wish to remind that the Constitution sets no precondition for consultation between President and the Leader of the Opposition,” Harmon said during a virtual press conference recently.
Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira went one step further and indicated that the Opposition will be blocked from nominating persons to sit on State Boards until this and other pre-conditions are met. For the Opposition Leader, the Government’s posture can also be described as a blatant violation of the Constitution.
While the nomination of members to State Boards is premise on an aged old agreement between the PPP/C and the People’s National Congress/Reform (PNC/R), Harmon said the Constitution specifically requires that there be consultation with the Leader of the Opposition by the President in the appointment of a number of constitutional office holders. “No precondition is attached,” the Opposition Leader iterated.
Article 127 of the Constitution requires that agreements be reached between the President and the Opposition Leader for the appointment of Chancellor and Chief justice while Article 191 mandates that the ombudsman be appointed by the President based on consultation with the Opposition Leader. Articles 198, 200, 207, 210, 212 and 161 outline similar requirements for the appointment of members of the Judicial Service Commission, the Public Service Commission, the Teaching Service Commission, the Police Service Commission, the Human Rights Commission and the Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission.
