Personal agenda of some opposition members seem more important than national development-President Ramotar
Written by Gina WebmastersGeorgetown, GINA, November 14, 2014
There are some members of the political opposition, President Donald Ramotar said, who seem bent on pursuing their own narrow personal agendas instead of putting national development first.
Speaking to the media today at a press conference, the President was asked about his efforts to reach out to the political opposition since he took office in November 2011.
It was recalled that he broke from tradition and personally addressed the first sitting of the current 10th parliament, offering to work with the opposition which when combined, had a one seat majority.
According to the Head of State, his attempt to reach out to the parliamentary opposition did not go as he expected. “I thought that we could have developed a much better working relationship. I thought that if we only based ourselves on what was in the interest of the people of our country, I thought there were very many areas that we could have found agreement on”.
This was not the case, President Ramotar stated, as he noted that, “personal political agenda seems to be more important to some people than national development”.
The President has repeatedly said that his government is willing to meet and have dialogue on national issues. The government had reached out and sought to include the political opposition on issues such as the Anti-Money Laundering Bill, Amaila Falls Hydro Project and the construction of the Marriot Hotel.
Despite efforts which included for example, the provision of confidential contract documents and site visits, to Amaila, the projects failed to gain acceptance from the political opposition.
On November 10, the President prorogued parliament, and by so doing, preserved the life of the 10th session. He said his government was open to dialogue and during the period of prorogation, his Administration would use the time to continue to engage the Parliamentary Opposition in constructive ways, in addressing the issues confronting Guyana.
The Opposition has however maintained that it is not interested in dialogue.
