| Government awaiting word from APNU, AFC on resumption of tripartite talks |  |  |  |
| Written by Adele Rampersaud |
| Monday, 28 May 2012 21:12 |
| GOVERNMENT is claiming that it has not received any word from the opposition A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance For Change (AFC) with regard to the recommencement of the tripartite talks. Speaking to this publication, Presidential Adviser on Governance and Chief Whip for the government side of the House , Gail Teixeira, said that government has not received any word from both APNU and AFC on confirmation of the meetings. Teixeira had written to the parties with regard to the recommencement of the talks. Meanwhile, this publication sought to contact leaders of both parties, but was only successful in securing a comment from the AFC leader, Khemraj Ramjattan. Ramjattan confirmed that the party is in receipt of an invitation in this regard, and that it has not yet responded to Teixeira’s letter. He assured that the party is in the process of fixing a date that is convenient. Ramjattan stated that the government has to be decisive, as he is not too optimistic that anything will come out of the talks at this stage. He is afraid that it will be another “talk shop.” Efforts to contact APNU’s David Granger for a comment proved futile, since this publication was told that he is presently out of the jurisdiction. Speaker of the National Assembly Raphael Trotman last week had expressed optimism with the tripartite talks between the governing PPP/C and the opposition AFC and APNU. During a media briefing, which was held at the Savannah Suite Pegasus last Tuesday, Trotman stated that the talks were set to resume during this week. It would have been the first meeting between the parties since the budget cuts approximately a month ago. Trotman appeared enthused saying that the atmosphere is now better for dialogue. “I’m aware that Ms. (Gail) Teixeira has written a letter to the parties signalling that fact. The AFC is in the process of responding and I daresay that the APNU is as well. So I have no doubt tripartite talks will resume in the not too distant future, once members are back in Guyana,” Trotman said. Earlier this month, both APNU and AFC were quoted in some sections of the media calling for the resumption of the tripartite talks with the government, citing it as the most viable option to take the country forward. Ramjattan was quoted as saying, that “the budget cuts could have been avoided if the tripartite arrangement was allowed to proceed prior to the tabling of the 2012 National Budget. Several groups were established out of the tripartite arrangement to deal with constitutional parliamentary issues, financial and governance. The group consisted of six persons, two from each of the parties. Talks between the government and opposition began November last, but came to a halt, since the government had claimed that they were being bullied by the opposition, a claim the two parties have since dismissed |
