Cabinet is not the forum for inter-party discussions and the AFC’s concerns regarding the powers of Minister of State Joseph Harmon, who is a member of APNU, is likely to be discussed at a high-level inter-party summit.
“The APNU and AFC will have to meet at some high-level summit and work though those matters. I dare say at some time, as we approach the first year since we are in government, that there will be such a gathering,” Minister of Natural Resources Raphael Trotman told a post-Cabinet media briefing yesterday. He noted that the AFC had raised its concerns at Cabinet but further discussions have to take place outside that forum.
The AFC leadership earlier this month blamed the concentration of various powers in Harmon as being responsible for the problems that flared up around government recently. The party had argued that Harmon’s responsibilities as Cabinet Secretary, the Minister of State in the Ministry of the Presidency and the effective Head of the Presidential Secretariat were too much. It had said that the responsibilities of each of the portfolios are substantial and of vital importance to the smooth operations of the government and would, therefore, benefit from separate appointments
Quizzed yesterday on whether a timeframe has been set for the talks to begin, Trotman said: “We will look at the triumphs, the hills and valleys and high and the lows, of the coalition government and the relationship between the parties. No, but we know for sure the elections were May 11th and government was sworn in on the 16th and we know therefore that it has to be over the next few weeks we will have that conversation.”
He said that Cabinet was not the forum to have and settle party discussions, as it is a governmental institution.
Harmon has been beset by controversy including as regards his appointment of businessman Brian Tiwarie as a business adviser, interfering with the work of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) and a controversial trip to China. Many questions remain unanswered about the various issues including the China trip, where Harmon had contact and travelled in a private jet with representatives of controversial logging company Baishanlin.
“There was a discussion but it has not been concluded and it will continue,” AFC’s General Secretary David Patterson, who is also the Minister of Public Infrastructure, had related to Stabroek News regarding the Cabinet session when his party raised the matter of Harmon’s powers. “It will be continued. I am not too sure. We didn’t set a specific date,” he had said when probed as to a timeline for continuation or possible resolution of the matter.
However, a source had told this newspaper that the matter was not discussed in depth and that “possibly due to time constraints” a resolution to the issue could not be had.
