The Opposition group, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), has described as “cowardly”, President Donald Ramotar’s announcement on Tuesday night that he intends to dissolve the Parliament and call snap elections if the Opposition parties in the National Assembly move ahead with the no confidence motion against his administration.

In a response to the President’s Address to the Nation, the APNU said it will not be “intimidated or threatened” by the President’s statements.

According to the Opposition group, “APNU views the President’s ‘threat’ to prorogue or dissolve the Parliament as a cowardly. The Parliament is intended to be a place for debate.  President Ramotar is choosing to dissolve Parliament instead of facing up to a debate on the PPP/C’s abysmal record in office”.

And the APNU which has been leading the call for local government elections, was also not impressed with the President’s announcement that he intends to call Local Government Elections in the second quarter of 2015. “It clear that President Ramotar is trying to intimidate the opposition by threatening General and Regional Elections and putting Local Government Elections far into the future. APNU will not be threatened or intimidated”, the party statement added.

Opposition Leader David Granger has said that the APNU will throw its full support behind the AFC’s no confidence motion and if that forces national elections, then the APNU has no problem allowing those national elections to take precedence over local governemnt elections.

Filed: 4th November, 2014

SEE Full APNU Statement below

APNU PRESS RELEASE

We will not be threatened or intimidated

A Partnership for National Unity –APNU is extremely disappointed by the views expressed by President Donald Ramotar in his address to the nation this evening (4th November 2014).  It clear that President Ramotar is trying to intimidate the opposition by threatening General and Regional Elections and putting Local Government Elections far into the future. APNU will not be threatened or intimidated.

After deliberately delaying the post –recess sitting  of the  National Assembly by several weeks, APNU feels strongly that the President’s new found urgency to bring to the floor of the National Assembly “urgent matters…in  the interest of the people of Guyana” to be disingenuous.

APNU views the President’s ‘threat’ to prorogue or dissolve the Parliament as a cowardly. The Parliament is intended to be a place for debate.  President Ramotar is choosing to dissolve Parliament instead of facing up to a debate on the PPP/C’s abysmal record in office.