It had been hoped that former President Granger would have taken up the invitation by President Ali to meet with him and the three former PPP/C Presidents, Messrs Hinds, Jagdeo and Ramotar. That unfortunately no longer seems to be in the offing as aside from what he said was the lack of an agenda and a clear purpose, Mr Granger has since advanced the view that the meeting cannot be held now considering major grievances which his coalition and constituents would like to have addressed.
According to a statement from the PNCR, Granger “felt that it would be a blunder to ignore the legitimate concerns of a significant section of the population and the aspirations of the majority of our people, especially those enduring the privations of the pandemic.”
He stressed that there is public concern about certain governmental actions – including the rate of deaths as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic; unwarranted dismissals of public servants; harassment of Elections Commission officials and human rights violations.
Mr Granger contended that the letter he received from Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira neither explained amply the purpose of the intended meeting nor recommended an agenda for examination.
“There was no indication of the preparation that would be needed, the relevance of the engagement to government policies and the outcome that would be expected from deliberations. The President’s intention on the other hand, according newspaper reports was to generate ideas on ‘Guyana’s development’”, the PNCR statement noted.
Given the atrophied political culture in the country it would undoubtedly be useful for senior politicians from both of the pre-eminent political machines to meet regularly, even if informally, to discuss major issues. Such a forum would help to lubricate dialogue at varying levels between the two sides, build trust for major decisions that have to be taken on constitutional reforms and send a signal to all the people of this country that a stable, functional democracy is a possibility. The forum could also easily operate parallel to statutory engagements mandated by the constitution.
In light of the historic rivalry and animosities between the PPP/C and the PNCR and which were intensely deepened by the five-month campaign to steal the general elections in favour of the then incumbent APNU+AFC administration, it would have required some magnanimity and maturity on the part of the PPP/C government and President Ali to initiate this process of dialogue and healing.
As we said in our editorial of December 7th, President Ali should be given credit for initiating this process and it is hoped that it can take off once the reservations entered by Mr Granger are addressed. It remains the case, however, that this informal meeting of the President with four of the former occupants of the presidency – including three from the PPP/C – can in no way be considered a substitute for structured talks and certainly not for the constitutionally mandated engagements between President Ali and Opposition Leader Joseph Harmon.
Moreover, given the clear lack of trust between the two sides and the unbalanced composition of the conclave of the President and former presidents it could hardly lead to any immediate, substantive progress in the many areas which urgently need vigorous engagement vis-à-vis revision of electoral laws, constitutional reform, oil and gas policy, addressing the human resource deficit and public safety concerns.
While President Ali has displayed magnanimity in his invitation to Mr Granger, his attitude towards engagement with the Opposition Leader, Mr Harmon is the exact opposite and illogical. Asked on Thursday by Stabroek News to provide an update on cooperation between his office and that of Mr Harmon’s, Ali sought an update on Mr Harmon’s opinion of his government. President Ali’s retort was “Can you update me on whether Mr Harmon has changed his position on the way he sees the government?”
President Ali had told reporters in October that “Mr Harmon must be honest enough to go out to the public and say the PPP has been legitimately elected and it is the recognized Government of Guyana and then we’ll talk”.
So how is it that President Ali can invite Mr Granger – who has certainly not recognised this government – for dialogue but ignore Mr Harmon’s constitutionally enshrined role under article 110? The illogic is too vast to bridge.
President Ali’s government has gotten all of the recognition that it craves i.e. that of the Guyana Elections Commission and the international community. The views of Messrs Harmon and Granger on the legitimacy of the government are inconsequential except that it makes political relations more difficult if their position is adverse. Moreover, the easiest way for this government to secure recognition from Mr Harmon would be activate the formal role of the Opposition Leader. Were the President to invite Mr Harmon to consultations on the long outstanding substantive appointments of a Chancellor of the Judiciary and the Chief Justice that would be the cinch. The attendance of Mr Harmon at such consultations would deliver the formal recognition that the President says he is seeking. Were Mr Harmon to decline such an invitation then he would be considered to be in breach of his constitutional obligations.
It is really a question of how sincere and committed the PPP/C government is to meaningful political dialogue which could lead to sweeping constitutional reforms as opposed to maintaining the status quo and using the country’s impending oil wealth to perpetuate itself in office. Only the effluxion of time will determine where the PPP/C government stands and it could be certain that the same international community that conveyed recognition is watching very carefully. In the meanwhile, there is no barrier that can be erected in relation to the constitutional role of the Opposition Leader and the President would be well advised to begin consultations as soon as possible.
