Georgetown: The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) said while it has not received any formal invitation by government to participate in its proposed unity talks, such an invitation might be premature since the APNU/AFC alliance must first settle its own obvious internal differences.
The Party’s General Secretary Clement Rohee on Monday said that Government, which is ostensibly seeking to hold talks on inclusionary government with the Opposition, has its own internal issues to deal with. He however did not say what those issues are, but noted that they needed to be trashed out before any talks on unity could be had.
He said too that Government is making the assertion that “things are in the pipeline,” when they actually are not. He said his Party has not received any formal invitation for this and is not looking forward to any.
“Mr Harmon spoke as though there is already agreement between the two sides to engage formally and that the process should begin with an exchange of correspondence on the modalities for talks when there is none.
For Mr Harmon’s information and guidance there is no such agreement. The PPP has not received any formal communication on the matter nor are we requesting any”, he told journalists.
Rohee said there is actually much confusion in the APNU+AFC camp on this matter and it seems best that the alliance settle their internal differences and put their house in order before any attempt is made to engage the PPP.
The PPP had earlier shot down the move by Government to have its Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo lead the talks, when it was first announced by the latter in a meeting at Whim in Berbice. Opposition leader Bharat Jagdeo had said that if it were to be, the PPP would rather have President Granger in such talks than Nagamootoo.
Minister of State Joseph Harmon on Friday however told Journalists that if the PPP has an issue with Nagamootoo, they should express this through a formal written statement rather than playing it down through the press.
This however did not sit well with the PPP.
Rohee said the Granger administration has persistently sought to frame the political agenda for the PPP. He referred to the recently held General and Regional Elections, the PPP’s re-entry to the 11th Parliament and its current attempt to adopt what he described as a twin track approach by creating and fostering the extant psychological environment by racial and political intimidation and victimization.
“They attempted this in respect to elections, both General and Regional and now Local Government, the PPP/C’s re-entry into the 11th Parliament and they are currently attempting to do so by adopting a twin track approach. First, by creating and fostering the extant psychological environment which is fraught with racial and political intimidation and victimization, threats and persistent harassment of the PPP, its members and supporters”.
“The enemies of the PPP, the supporters of APNU+AFC and apologists of recent vintage are oblivious to these areas of concerns that have been raised time and again by the PPP. However by the time they come to realize what has crept up on them, too late, too late! would be the cry”.
He said the APNU+AFC scarecrow politics will “get us nowhere” save to return us to the days prior to the 1992 period when the lack of democracy at the political and social levels and the ruination of the economy was the “order of the day”.
He said the call for “unity talks” therefore has to be contextualized and framed within this backdrop.
He noted too that history is replete with examples attesting to the contrary and on every occasion there was a context in which such talks took place.
“In the case of the sixties, the PPP’s political unity objective was to save the Nation from further ruination as a result of CIA fomented disturbances but Burnham was not interested because he was already assured by the foreign powers that he was the chosen one to take Guyana to independence and not Jagan”.
You must be logged in to post a comment.