President Ramotar calls for end to gridlock politics
- but stressed his government will not be held to ransom
Written by Chamanlall Naipaul
Friday, 10 February 2012 22:40
Source - Guyana Chronicle
President Donald Ramotar addresses the inaugural sitting of the 10th Parliament yesterday. (Photo by Adrian Narine)
PRESIDENT Donald Ramotar yesterday made an impassioned call for an end to gridlock and inertia in our political environment, urging mature behaviour by political parties and their respective leaders.
He made this call while addressing the 10th Parliament exhorting that: “To move forward will call for maturity. If we are to avoid gridlock and inertia, political cooperation in the interest of Guyana must exist. This is the reality we face; we must avoid gridlock. At this time given the significant development under the PPP/C, my administration would be loath to accept gridlock that can stymie Guyana’s development.”
He made these exhortations against the backdrop of the unprecedented situation where the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) singularly has the most seats but the combined opposition has a majority, albeit, by just one seat.
The President noted that the working of the 10th Parliament is beginning in a very challenging period in Guyana’s history, because such a situation is new but has been experienced by other countries. However, he noted the results of such parliaments have been mixed.
“As willing however my government is to exercise patience, forbearance and reasonableness in the interest of all of our people, my administration will not be held ransom to intractable postures. I therefore hope that we can work together so that history will record that we succeeded at this time when we were put to the test.”
“In some cases they have been successful. In others they have not been so fruitful, and in some, downright failures. Therefore we do not have a unified model that we can follow. The question is:How will we perform? Will ours add to the list of failures or will it be able to serve as an example of a successful parliament? Will other countries finding themselves in a similar situation in the future turn to us to see how well we did and seek to learn from our experience? The answers to these questions lie ahead of us. They are also within us, and a lot will depend on what attitude we take at this time,” the President asserted.
The Head of State, amidst the challenge, expressed the view that “we have the capacity to rise to this challenge", stating that he is satisfied that “we are capable of demonstrating to the Guyanese nation that while political competition and diversity are essential in a democracy, they should not foreclose on the possibilities for compromise and consensus in the way we do business.”
President Rammotar is greeted by Speaker Raphael Trotman on his arrival at Parliament Buildings yesterday.(Photo by Cullen Bess-Nelson)
He added that the make up of the new parliament dictates that consensus and compromise be sought, resisting the temptation to believe that any party can “ride roughshod over the other.”
He assured that his government has the political will to have consensus and compromise, noting that the government has already committed itself to regular engagements with the parliamentary parties.
Through these engagements, the President is hoping that political trust can be nurtured and an enabling climate for consensus building be created.
He expressed disappointment that consensus on the election of Speaker/Deputy Speaker could not have been reached.
However, he stressed: As willing, however, my government is to exercise patience, forbearance and reasonableness in the interest of all of our people, my administration will not be held ransom to intractable postures. I therefore hope that we can work together so that history will record that we succeeded at this time when we were put to the test.”
International situation
The President observed that the current international environment is very complicated and difficult and therefore there is need for the forging of united and strong positions in order to be able to meet the resulting challenges.
President Ramotar inspects the guard of honour in the Parliament Buildings forecourt yesterday.
He also said that international socio-economic and political development impact locally and many of the problems that confront our country have their origins in foreign countries.
“This is one of those times when we have to keep focused on international events due to the potential impact on our country,” President Ramotar exhorted.
He explained that the traditional drivers of the world economy, the U.S., Europe and Japan, have been experiencing grave economic and political problems, with many experienced commentators opining that it is the worst since the great depression of 1929-1933.
The weight of these countries in world affairs, the effects of their problems, cannot be contained within their borders and the interconnections of the global economy have ensured that every country is affected to some degree, the President noted.
Guyana’s financial problems has been exacerbated too by the huge cuts in sugar prices by the European Union, while the region is going through tough times because of lower tourist arrivals and steep rises in fuel prices, President Ramotar said.
In the current situation the President urged that Guyana, while consolidating relations with traditional partners, at the same time must seek to broaden relations with others, particularly the merging economies with which Guyana has long-standing, friendly and fruitful relations.
Last Updated on Friday, 10 February 2012 22:50
- but stressed his government will not be held to ransom
Written by Chamanlall Naipaul
Friday, 10 February 2012 22:40
Source - Guyana Chronicle
President Donald Ramotar addresses the inaugural sitting of the 10th Parliament yesterday. (Photo by Adrian Narine)PRESIDENT Donald Ramotar yesterday made an impassioned call for an end to gridlock and inertia in our political environment, urging mature behaviour by political parties and their respective leaders.
He made this call while addressing the 10th Parliament exhorting that: “To move forward will call for maturity. If we are to avoid gridlock and inertia, political cooperation in the interest of Guyana must exist. This is the reality we face; we must avoid gridlock. At this time given the significant development under the PPP/C, my administration would be loath to accept gridlock that can stymie Guyana’s development.”
He made these exhortations against the backdrop of the unprecedented situation where the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) singularly has the most seats but the combined opposition has a majority, albeit, by just one seat.
The President noted that the working of the 10th Parliament is beginning in a very challenging period in Guyana’s history, because such a situation is new but has been experienced by other countries. However, he noted the results of such parliaments have been mixed.
“As willing however my government is to exercise patience, forbearance and reasonableness in the interest of all of our people, my administration will not be held ransom to intractable postures. I therefore hope that we can work together so that history will record that we succeeded at this time when we were put to the test.”
“In some cases they have been successful. In others they have not been so fruitful, and in some, downright failures. Therefore we do not have a unified model that we can follow. The question is:How will we perform? Will ours add to the list of failures or will it be able to serve as an example of a successful parliament? Will other countries finding themselves in a similar situation in the future turn to us to see how well we did and seek to learn from our experience? The answers to these questions lie ahead of us. They are also within us, and a lot will depend on what attitude we take at this time,” the President asserted.
The Head of State, amidst the challenge, expressed the view that “we have the capacity to rise to this challenge", stating that he is satisfied that “we are capable of demonstrating to the Guyanese nation that while political competition and diversity are essential in a democracy, they should not foreclose on the possibilities for compromise and consensus in the way we do business.”
President Rammotar is greeted by Speaker Raphael Trotman on his arrival at Parliament Buildings yesterday.(Photo by Cullen Bess-Nelson)He added that the make up of the new parliament dictates that consensus and compromise be sought, resisting the temptation to believe that any party can “ride roughshod over the other.”
He assured that his government has the political will to have consensus and compromise, noting that the government has already committed itself to regular engagements with the parliamentary parties.
Through these engagements, the President is hoping that political trust can be nurtured and an enabling climate for consensus building be created.
He expressed disappointment that consensus on the election of Speaker/Deputy Speaker could not have been reached.
However, he stressed: As willing, however, my government is to exercise patience, forbearance and reasonableness in the interest of all of our people, my administration will not be held ransom to intractable postures. I therefore hope that we can work together so that history will record that we succeeded at this time when we were put to the test.”
International situation
The President observed that the current international environment is very complicated and difficult and therefore there is need for the forging of united and strong positions in order to be able to meet the resulting challenges.
President Ramotar inspects the guard of honour in the Parliament Buildings forecourt yesterday.He also said that international socio-economic and political development impact locally and many of the problems that confront our country have their origins in foreign countries.
“This is one of those times when we have to keep focused on international events due to the potential impact on our country,” President Ramotar exhorted.
He explained that the traditional drivers of the world economy, the U.S., Europe and Japan, have been experiencing grave economic and political problems, with many experienced commentators opining that it is the worst since the great depression of 1929-1933.
The weight of these countries in world affairs, the effects of their problems, cannot be contained within their borders and the interconnections of the global economy have ensured that every country is affected to some degree, the President noted.
Guyana’s financial problems has been exacerbated too by the huge cuts in sugar prices by the European Union, while the region is going through tough times because of lower tourist arrivals and steep rises in fuel prices, President Ramotar said.
In the current situation the President urged that Guyana, while consolidating relations with traditional partners, at the same time must seek to broaden relations with others, particularly the merging economies with which Guyana has long-standing, friendly and fruitful relations.
Last Updated on Friday, 10 February 2012 22:50