Snap elections would be sign of immaturity – private sector official
Any decision to call a snap-election in Guyana would be a sign of immaturity and an admission by elected officials that they are incapable of working together for the good of the country.
This is the view of a senior member of Guyana’s Private Sector Commission (PSC) who told BIZNOW on Thursday that he is deeply concerned about the state of uncertainty in the country fuelled by the apparent inability of politicians to find common ground.
“I am very concerned about the state of uncertainty that exist right now in the country. It has the potential to get worse as we go along. It is our understanding that nothing meaningful came out of the second round of meetings between the opposition and the president, said Ramesh Dookhoo, Chairman of the Trade, Intelligence and Investment Committee of the PSC.
In a landmark decision on Tuesday, Speaker of the National Assembly Raphael Trotman ruled that the National Assembly has the power to amend budgetary allocations stating that the House cannot be bound by an earlier preliminary ruling of the High Court that stated the contrary.
With the Speaker’s ruling and the decision by the opposition to amend certain budgetary allocations which government insists should go through, a resolution to the current impasse remains elusive.
When asked about the likelihood of a snap election being called in light of the current circumstances, Dookhoo said, “For me, a snap election is an admittance that we cannot work together. I would like to see our politics and our democracy evolve into something that causes us to work together. I think the people are very happy with the make-up of parliament, they believe that they have an alternative. But if this is the way it is going to play out, it is frustrating.”
The PSC, Dookhoo said, is trying to meet with the main opposition party, A Partnership for National Unity, and will continue to meet with all stakeholders in an effort to help find a solution to the current situation.