Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton yesterday challenged President Irfaan Ali to produce correspondence to back up the claim that Ali had eight times formally reached out to him in an attempt to fulfill his [Ali’s] constitutional mandate.
“That is not true. If there are eight letters, the exchange is on one set of things and that was the Public Service Commission and the Teaching Service Commission,” Norton yesterday told the Sunday Stabroek when contacted.
Norton who was at the time in Berbice said he would share the correspondences when he returns to the city and let the nation be the judge on the issue. He pointed out that correspondences come not from Ali but through Minister of Governance and Parliamentary Affairs Gail Teixeira.
“Outside of [the commissions issue] I have never had a letter from the President,” Norton stressed.
Ali yesterday told a press conference he hosted at State House that he believes that he has fulfilled his constitutional responsibility as it relates to reaching out to the Leader of the Opposition, as he had done so some eight times.
“For a matter of fact, I formally reached out to the Leader of the Opposition on eight occasions, between April 2022 to June 2023, in relation to fulfilling my duties, in accordance with what the Constitution requires. So, you would not find me wanting when it comes to fulfilling my constitutional mandate because I believe strongly in constitutional rule, and upkeeping the Constitution of our country”, he said.
It is for that reason that Ali said that he does not see why he should again reach out to Norton and he does not see why the Opposition Leader could not call him.
Stating that he has an inclusionary democracy policy, Ali pointed to the many outreaches that he and his Cabinet members have had throughout the country.
“Since assuming office, I have conducted hundreds of outreaches myself, hundreds of outreaches all across the country, and Cabinet has conducted thousands of outreaches all across the country, directly communicating to the people and listening to them. That is what inclusionary democracy is about. That is the hallmark, when the ideas of the common man, when the voice of the common man finds itself in the discussion of the Cabinet of the country, when the ideas of the common man, when the ideas of the people in society shape the policy formulation of the country, influences the policy formulation of the country. That is what inclusionary democracy is,” he explained.
Further, he added, “So, my friends, I can go through a list of areas through which we have had consultation, whether you talk about the Low Carbon Development Strategy, the real estate legislation, electoral reform, the farmers and fisherfolk issues, miners, leaders and business community, the private sector and on every occasion, as is required by me in the Constitution, I have consulted with every stakeholder including the Leader of the Opposition on matters of the State.”
Asked for information on the times he sent the letters, Ali said that he could not remember each but that he would ensure his office shares them. “I can share with you the letters; they are already in the public domain. I can share with you all the communication in relation to that. I can have the office share that with you because I can’t go through that now,” he said.
“Let me say to you: I have fulfilled my constitutional mandate and I intend to continue to do so,” he added.
Asked if he would formally write Norton to have dialogue, Ali said that he did not see why after exhausting measures firstly, that Norton could not be the one to now reach out.
“Now I don’t understand why this burden is at my foot because I am saying to you that I have fulfilled all my constitutional mandates with regard to the Leader of the Opposition”, he said
“As I have said… what stops him from calling?” he asked.
The President also questioned what would he need to write to Norton about. “On what?”
Told that there are a range of issues, Ali replied, “I don’t know if the Leader of the Opposition gave you a list, but I can say to you I don’t know. I can’t speak in abstract. On all the dialogue that deals with the constitution, I have executed my mandate. And every time it is required of me to engage based on the constitution, you can rest assured that I will.”
