| “Jagdeo has been Minister of Finance and he has been President for 12 years…I wish he would bring his ideas on board and let us work together,… boycotting is not the answer.” – President David Granger“We are always willing to contribute our ideas towards national development. We have done so on many occasions. But it seems as though the Government either doesn’t want to listen to them, or often just disregards our ideas completely.” – Opposition Leader Bharrat JagdeoBy Kiana WilburgInclusionary Democracy—it is a concept that President David Granger has often preachedPresident David Grangerabout; even vowed that he is intent on achieving, since he believes the time is now for the country to move forward as one on the path of national unity.But crucial to his achievement of the ideal is the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) – a Party his (Granger’s) administration has accused of being the most corrupt regime of our time.After 18 months in Office, the Head of State does not seem to be making any headway in this regard. In fact, during his last address to the Parliament, the Opposition walked out before he could utter a formal greeting to the House.Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo even deemed Granger’s frequent visits to the Parliament as an “imposition” and his administration “comatose; full of rhetoric and no action.”Given the aforementioned, Kaieteur News asked the President if he still views the PPP as “good partners” for the arrangement of “inclusionary democracy” of which he often speaks.During the taping of his show, “The Public Interest”, the Head of State responded, “The word ‘good’ might be an exaggeration. As ‘potential’ partners,Wholesale Jerseys China, we have to work with them. They represent 49 percent of the electorate. We have to work with the PPP and other parties. So the answer is yes, I would like to improve the engagement between the various parties, but they (the PPP) must be there.”In this regard, the President emphasised that the Opposition must be present in the National Assembly. He said that the PPP’s “practice of boycotting” will not produce any good for establishing an inclusionary democracy.“It is almost as if you are talking to empty chairs. They must be present and they must show a willingness to participate. The coalition Government wants to participate more fully in that type of democracy you described, and I believe that it would be good for Guyana.”Granger said that the nation would be surprised as to how close the objectives of the coalition government are to those of the opposition. The Head of State cited the topic of the green environment as one defining example.The President noted in this regard that Jagdeo has spoken on the need for a green environment and it is no different to what his administration has been saying.Opposition Leader,Cheap Soccer Jerseys, Bharrat JagdeoSpeaking of the need to improve relations between the two parties, Granger said, “Jagdeo has been Minister of Finance and he has been President for 12 years…I wish he would bring his ideas on board and let us work together, but boycotting is not the answer.”Noting the President’s comments, the Opposition Leader, told this newspaper that his party is always willing to help the Government in whatever areas it can.Jagdeo stressed,China Jerseys Free Shipping, however,NFL Jerseys China, that since its ascension to office, the Government has been all talk and no action when it comes to achieving an inclusionary democracy.The former President said,Anders Nilsson Jersey, “We are always willing to contribute our ideas towards national development. We have done so on many occasions. But it seems as though the Government either doesn’t want to listen to them, or often just disregards our ideas completely.”In this regard, Jagdeo cited the issue of the rice industry. The Opposition Leader claimed that his party offered nine suggestions as to what the government could do to keep the industry buoyant. He said that many of the recommendations do not cost any money or would not turn out to be a significant charge on the national purse. Jagdeo said that they would just require a few policy changes and some effort on the part of the government. But the ideas were not used.The Opposition Leader said, too, that his party offered to work with the government to ensure that ailing sugar survives. He stressed that there has been no attempt to solicit the ideas of the Party in this area.The former Finance Minister said that suggestions were also shared in relation to the mining sector, with respect to what can be done for small loggers, and even the green economy. He emphasized that there has never been any outreach for that purpose.“I even offered to brief the Government on seven large tax cases that would have been major liabilities if we lose them or bring in significant revenue for the state. So it is one thing to talk about wanting to solicit or to get ideas from us and another thing to put in place a mechanism to do so,” expressed the Opposition Leader.Jagdeo said that his party is of the firm belief that the government is engaged in a lot of rhetoric and it has not had a serious approach to the inclusionary democracy it laments about.As it relates to its walkouts in the Eleventh Parliament, Jagdeo maintained that those had absolutely nothing to do with the Opposition not wanting to share its ideas or assist in any way it could for the nation’s development.Citing his Party’s walkout on the President’s last address to the House, Jagdeo said that this was done to register the Opposition’s disapproval with the manner in which Carvil Duncan was being treated. He maintained that the constitutional rights of the Head of the Public Service were being trampled upon.“So our walkout was essentially a form of protest. It doesn’t mean that because we are willing to share ideas and willing to cooperate, we will not speak out when we feel that things are done by the government that don’t meet the standards that they set themselves, when they campaigned on the platform of good governance, transparency and a better life for everyone,wholesale jerseys china,” the Opposition Leader stated.Jagdeo said that if Granger’s talk of an inclusionary democracy is genuine then it must be backed by action to solicit what the Opposition has to say.“They need to back it up,” concluded the former President. |
