General Elections is only way to solve Parliamentary impasse - Dr. Roger Luncheon

October 11, 2013, By KNews, Filed Under News, Source

Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr Roger Luncheon, yesterday said that he believes that a return to General Elections is the only way to solve the impasse afflicting Guyana’s Parliament for the last two years.

Dr Luncheon was at the time asked to respond to queries as to whether the ruling party has kicked into elections mode. He was speaking to reporters following his weekly post-Cabinet Press briefing yesterday at Office of the President.

Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr Roger Luncheon

While not wanting to confirm a position, Dr Luncheon did assert that, “all parties reading the tea leaves properly would be responding appropriately.”

The Cabinet spokesperson suggested that it would be better to solicit the views of the populace, as to whether an election would be the answer to the problems facing the country, but at a personal level, he believes that the return to the polls would be the answer.

“I strongly believe that what has occurred over the first two years of the tenth Parliament, particularly in Parliament, it may not be a phenomenon that could be resolved any other way than by General Elections.”

Dr Luncheon said that the President has made his position public, in that there exist two options, “I (Donald Ramotar) do it or they do it.”

Asked to respond to the possibility of the political opposition moving to Parliament to execute a vote of no confidence in the government forcing an election, Dr Luncheon stressed that the ruling party has never resorted to an election held under threat.

“I would dearly love to see the observation continue, we are never usually forced into conditions of votes of no confidence,” implying that Government would want to call the elections on its own terms and not be forced by the Political Opposition.

According to Dr Luncheon, “the move to general election has over the years in Guyana been well thought out and the pros and cons.”

Quizzed further on the possibility of the no confidence motion being executed by the Political Opposition, Dr Luncheon said that, “the event of a no confidence vote doesn’t necessarily mean you have to get a majority, if a no confidence vote is called… but you can respond.”

Dr Luncheon said whether or not the opposition has the numbers in parliament to execute the no confidence vote, government still retains the right to call elections even before such a motion is debated.