Jagdeo sets conditions for Granger meeting

Bharrat Jagdeo

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo has laid down conditions for meeting with President David Granger tomorrow including the naming of a date for elections before the expiration of the validity of the present voters list on April 30, 2019 and a cessation to the awarding of contracts by the state after March 21, 2019.

In the letter to Minister of State Joseph Harmon yesterday, Jagdeo said “…the Guyana Constitution is the supreme law of Guyana, and, therefore, the proposed meeting can only and must only focus on ensuring that the Constitution is not violated, and, that general and regional elections are held in compliance with Article 106(6) and 106(7) following the December 21, 2018 passage of the No-confidence  motion”.

He then proposed for the consideration of President Granger the following:

  1. The date of the general and regional elections to be held before expiration of the present voters’ list on April 30, 2019;
  2. No new contracts to be awarded by the State, including Regional Democratic Councils, and, State-owned corporations after March 21, 2019;
  3. No new agreements, loans, grants, land leases, or any such agreements or contracts after March 21, 2019, that bind Government;
  4. No abuse of State resources for partisan activities/purposes;
  5. Access to the state-owned media by all the contesting political parties.

He said that on the agreement of the government to these proposals, the parliamentary opposition would be prepared to lend its support for the two-thirds majority required to comply with Article 106(7) for an extension of the period for elections beyond March 21, 2019.

“I, therefore, am proposing that the meeting focus exclusively on the date for these elections”, he wrote.

He added that he believed that his proposal to hold elections before April 30th is reasonable and feasible provided that GECOM acts in good faith and in conformity with its mandate.

“If my proposal finds favour with the President, I shall be prepared to meet him on March 6, 2019 at 11 am or at any other time.

“However, time is of the essence, March 21, 2019, when the government becomes unconstitutional, is fast approaching”, he warned.