President Donald Ramotar, at his invitation, held a meeting yesterday with Roman Catholic Bishop Francis Alleyne to explain the reasons behind his proroguing of Parliament.
Analysts say the meeting reflects government concern that it is not winning the public relations campaign over the suspension of Parliament which has seen calls for the early resumptions of sittings and, in the case of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry, early general elections.
Yesterday’s meeting was disclosed by the Bishop himself in a public statement.
He said that in response to an invitation from the Office of the President, he and Gino Persaud met President Ramotar and Dr. Ashni Singh, Minister of Finance, at the Office of the President.
“His Excellency asked for the meeting in order to look over some of the points mentioned in a statement issued by myself in relation to the prorogation of Parliament. The statement was made public on Tuesday 11th November 2014.
“President Ramotar explained his position and decision to prorogue Parliament and shared with us a number of other issues that were important to his Government.
“My own input in the meeting was to reiterate the points central to my public statement namely Reconciliation and Trust”, the Bishop stated.
The Bishop said that he valued the opportunity to meet with the President and was looking forward in the near future to meeting with members of the parliamentary opposition.
In his statement on Tuesday, the Bishop called on all Guyanese and their leaders to work for the earliest resumption of parliamentary democracy.
Declaring that the suspension of Parliament on Monday has put Guyana into uncharted territory, Bishop Alleyne in the statement said:
“I … call on all Guyanese and their leaders to ensure that we navigate these uncertain times peacefully, honestly and respectfully with a view to the earliest resumption of parliamentary democracy.
“Finally, this crisis, this time of opportunity, requires all Guyana to join hands and find solutions to both the immediate impasse and the longer-term causes that led to it. I commit my support for initiatives that bring people together in common cause for our beloved country”, the Bishop said.
