Three of the main business bodies in the country yesterday urged a swift end to the political uncertainty over the elections date and two of them, the Private Sector Commission (PSC) included, maintained that business was being hampered.
In a statement yesterday, the PSC said that it is concerned about Guyana’s current business climate in the midst of the political uncertainty following the no-confidence motion on December 21st last year.
“The PSC had discussions with local and international businesses who have expressed reservations in investing as the uncertainty continues. There has been a reduction in Government and private sector contracts directly attributable to the uncertainty
“The PSC is of the strong view that the expeditious resolution of this political situation will bring great relief to the business community. The Commission continues to be a strong advocate for enabling a business environment for national growth and development.
“The Commission calls on the Carib-bean Court of Justice to provide a prompt resolution to this matter so that both local and international organizations and businesses would again see Guyana as a country with boundless opportunities”, the umbrella private sector body said.
In its statement, the Central Corentyne Chamber of Commerce is also urging government to respect the High Court’s ruling that dual citizens should not be sitting Members of Parliament, as eagerly as they welcomed the ruling invalidating the no-confidence vote.
The CCCC, in the statement expressed the hope that government, following the ruling on dual citizenship, will not treat the matter as “business as usual”.
Furthermore, the body, while noting that it found the decision of the Guyana Court of Appeal to be illogical, urged that it be respected.
Also, acknowledging that appeals to the decision have been filed with the Carib-bean Court of Justice, it pressed that the matter be urgently dealt with to bring the issue to a close.
“Whilst on the surface the ruling of the Appeals Court seems to have calmed the nation somewhat, this matter should be most urgently brought to a closure so that our nation can move forward. In this regard, we are calling on the Caribbean Court of Justice to urgently schedule hearings to speedily bring this issue to finality,” the CCCC stated.
The Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry in its statement also alluded to the need for an urgent settling of the matter following the Court of Appeal ruling, opining that the current political climate is a threat to business activity.
“The GCCI wishes to reiterate its initial position regarding the effect of political uncertainty on the level of economic activity. The Chamber is of the fervent hope that the matter of contention in the political arena, which is now before the Caribbean Court of Justice, will be expeditiously resolved. The resolution will bring an end to the degree of political uncertainty and ensure that a favourable business environment prevails,” GCCI had stated.
The statements came on the same day that President David Granger refuted concerns about the impact of the political situation on business in the country.
