No consensus on prorogation at President’s meeting with civil society

A meeting between Presi-dent Donald Ramotar and civil society members failed to draw any consensus on the president’s decision to prorogue Parlia-ment and no date was set to continue the discussions.

General Secretary of the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) Lincoln Lewis told Stabroek News that he and Vice President Norris Witter attended the meeting to ensure that a variety of opinions were expressed.

He said that it was his belief that the meeting, held at the Office of the President on Tuesday, was intended to formulate a positive accord on the president’s decision to suspend the legislature. The prorogation of Parliament means that one of the three branches of government is no longer operational and the parliamentary opposition—APNU and the AFC—has compared the decision to a dictatorship.

“While the Constitution gives the President the authority to prorogue Parliament, the reasons given are not just… while the act may be legal in spirit and intent, it is illegal,” Lewis said he told the meeting.

“It was further said to them that Parliament is an institution where the citizens have given up some level of authority to elected officials to transact business on their behalf,” he added, while noting that the President’s decision fundamentally shut down dialogue, which is in direct contradiction to the President’s reasons for prorogation.

Lewis told Stabroek News that it was unfair for parliament to be prorogued due to differences as the legislature is the branch of government that holds the responsibility for engagements between the government and opposition.

“The government’s arguments are very shallow and shift,” Lewis declared.

Asked if he believed that the stakeholder meeting was productive, Lewis stated, “I believe it was interactive.”

President Donald Ramotar and civil society members meeting to discuss his decision to prorogue the National Assembly. (Government Information Agency photo)
President Donald Ramotar and civil society members meeting to discuss his decision to prorogue the National Assembly. (Government Information Agency photo)

He said that should the government continue to commit an injustice, the opposition was well within its rights to internationalise the issue and sanctions by the diplomatic community may be a necessary step. “We are operating in a world; our behaviour matters. Charters and conventions have to be followed… if it requires the opposition parties going to Caricom, Organisation of American States, United Nations, International Labour Organisation, then that’s what the forums are there for,” Lewis noted.

Lewis stated that the GTUC was prepared to speak at the stakeholders meeting and that historically these types of meetings would involve members supportive of the government’s decisions. How-ever, he stated that the GTUC ensured that it was present and opened the discussions and also closed off the discussions.

Stabroek News understands that members of the religious community had expressed frustrations over the perception that government decisions were portrayed as righteous, while the opposition’s questions and criticisms were seen as negative. Lewis stated that the meeting adjourned with no definitive plans for there to be a second meeting.

Public relations consultant Kit Nascimento told Stabroek News that the GTUC representatives “dominated the floor,” during the discussion. He said that none of the participants raised the very conflicting reality that the president has called for dialogue with the two opposition parties after suspending the legislature, the very venue in which discussions are housed.

Stabroek News was reliably informed that the President has yet to attempt any engagement with either APNU or the AFC—which have both signalled that they are unprepared to engage in extra-parliamentary dialogue with the government—since he prorogued Parliament on Monday.

It has been four days since Ramotar made the proclamation and he is yet to speak to the Leader of the Opposition David Granger.

Nascimento mentioned that during the meeting that he suggested a bipartisan third party presence at the table during any discussions when asked by Presidential Advisor Gail Teixeira on suggestions on how dialogue could be facilitated.

The president’s team at the meeting also included Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, Head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr Roger Luncheon, Attorney General Anil Nandlall and Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh, while the civil society groups in attendance included the Private Sector Commission, FITUG and religious bodies.