PPP undecided on parliamentary participation, says Rohee
June 2, 2015 | By KNews | Filed Under News, Source
Though the main opposition party, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) has not yet decided whether its members will be taking their seats in the eleventh parliament when it convenes, yesterday, it revealed that consultations are underway to decide on its National and Regional representatives.
PPP Executive Secretary, Zulficar and the party’s General Secretary, Clement Rohee (From L to R)
As he addressed members of the media at Freedom House, Robb Street, the party’s General Secretary, Clement Rohee, explained that the process of indentifying their candidates on the Regional, Geographic and Top Up lists for the last elections required quite lengthy consultations from “the grassroots level coming all the way up to the leadership of the party.”
Rohee told members of the media that the same process will be taken in selecting its Members of Parliament (MPs) as well as representatives at the Regional Council levels.
“The consultation period took quite an extensive length of time for us to get them on the list. When you present the list, you don’t want some backfiring because your membership is not in agreement with the list,” said Rohee. He said the party members must be in agreement with the list.
“Now we have to go back through that same process in respect to Regional Councillors, Regional and Vice Regional Chairmen of those regions we won, as well as those regions which we have not won, particularly the Councillors and then for the MPs as well,” he said.
The General Secretary went on to say that the consultative process is one that must be thorough. Asked when the list will be completed, Rohee said that they had started the consultative process yesterday, and the party is working to develop a preliminary list that will be presented to its members and could be amended.
He said after this, there will be another round of consultation before it is announced.
Noting that there had been quite a number of persons on the lists they presented on Nominations Day, Rohee said that those who will not be representing the party at a Regional or National level will be informed during the consultative process so that a “fifth column situation” would not develop.
Rohee said, too, that neither former Presidents Bharrat Jagdeo nor Donald Ramotar had indicated their interest in being part of the eleventh Parliament. He did not pronounce either, whether former Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and their former Prime Ministerial Candidate, Elisabeth Harper would be representing them.
Rohee said that those discussions are ongoing.
According to him, “One has to make a distinction between determining who goes to Parliament, who goes on the Regional Democratic Councils, who goes as Chairman and Vice Chairman; between those decisions and the decision to go to Parliament. These are two separate and distinct decisions.”
He made clear, however, that the selection does not mean they would go into Parliament right away.
Rohee said, “There have been periods in our history where we settle on our Parliamentarians but we did not go into Parliament; also for the PNC (People’s National Congress). Soon after the Herdmanston Accord, they had settled on their MPs under Former President Desmond Hoyte, but they did not go into Parliament at the same time,” said Rohee.
He added, “One has to look at this thing in all its complexities given the fluidness of the political situation that is occurring at this time.” He insisted that both parties have had these experiences and noted that their Parliamentary strategy and tactics, there are “some commonalities and some differences.”
He said the final decision on whether the party goes to Parliament is made by the Central and Executive Committee. Pressed for a specific time, Rohee merely said “as soon as we have settled on one or the other tactical move.”
He said these things will be discussed by the party’s Central and Executive Committee, of which Rohee is Chairman.
