Dialogue rejected… Objectives of prorogation lost – Dr. Luncheon

THE prorogation of Parliament on November 10 and its objectives have been lost, according to Dr. Roger Luncheon, who added that there is now no value in prolonging prorogation.“This is the time to look at alternatives,” the Head of the Presidential Secretariat (HPS) said yesterday, at his weekly post Cabinet press conference. His comment follows Tuesday’s acknowledgment of President Donald Ramotar’s invitation for dialogue – the intent of the prorogation – by Leader of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), Brigadier (rtd) David Granger.
The main Opposition leader, in his response, was emphatic in his assertion that there will be “no talks” with the current Administration, unless the November 10 prorogation of Parliament is lifted.
According to the Granger camp, via a brief missive sent the media yesterday and titled, ‘Leader of the Opposition responds to the President’, “Brigadier David Granger, Leader of the Opposition, has responded to the letter from President Donald Ramotar, dated 18th November 2014 and entitled ‘Inter-Prorogation Dialogue’.
“The Opposition Leader iterated that APNU would be unprepared to participate in such a proposed dialogue for as long as the Parliament of Guyana remained prorogued.”
Additionally, both APNU and the Alliance For Change (AFC), at the time of the prorogation, made it clear that they will not engage the President in talks unless the prorogation is lifted and parliamentary work resumes.
Dr. Luncheon disclosed that the President has since communicated in a letter his disappointment over the position taken by APNU.
However, he stated that Granger’s response provided “clarity” to President Donald Ramotar on the main Opposition’s final position on the possibility of dialogue.
According to him, at Cabinet’s weekly meeting on Tuesday, the options going forward were considered and a move to general and regional elections appears to be the “reasonable and acceptable” alternative.
“There can be little doubt that general elections are gaining currency as a reasonable and acceptable alternative to talks among parliamentary political parties,” Dr. Luncheon said.
Asked about a timeline for an announcement by President Ramotar on the way forward, he disclosed that the Head of State will be engaging the media corps on Saturday and the question of a timeline will be better addressed there.
The HPS added that Mr. Ramotar continues to engage major stakeholders to get “a better understanding” of their desires for Guyana’s move forward. “Stakeholders views must be considered in making a decision (on the way forward),” he stressed.
The President has always maintained that the need for dialogue was uppermost in his mind when he made his decision. Paving the way for greater dialogue among political parties, he contends, would have kept the 10th Parliament alive to address critically important issues currently before the National Assembly.
However, when he prorogued Parliament, he committed that if these efforts prove futile, there will be a move to early general elections.
The last general and regional elections were held in November 2011.

extracted from the Guyana Chronicle