President Granger restates commitment to inclusionary democracy
– door remains open to Opposition Leader
– President optimistic of continued cordial discussions when engagement recommences in September
– President says US President Jimmy Carter “not a broker” in talks with Opposition Leader
DPI, Guyana, Friday, August 31, 2018
President David Granger today restated his government’s commitment to inclusionary democracy and continued consultations with the Opposition Leader.
The Head of State emphasised that the door will remain open to talks with the Opposition. He said this has and will continue to be the position of the Coalition Administration.
The president said, “in terms of inclusionary democracy, you know the history of that but I will continue to engage the Leader of the Opposition to ensure that important elements in society and the economy are discussed and we share ideas.”
The president expressed optimism that when engagements with the Opposition leader resume in September, matters will be addressed quickly and thoroughly.
President Granger also made it clear that former United States President Jimmy Carter is not a broker in the talks between himself and the Opposition Leader.
“He is not establishing some new procedure, as a friend of Guyana he enquired about the process and whether there were any obstacles and I gave him some answers based on the experiences we had since 2015 so I would not agree there is an ongoing formula or process supervised by president Carter,” the president explained.
The Head of State noted that progress can be made with regard to talks with Opposition Leader.
“I never denied or failed to meet Mr. Jagdeo, I wouldn’t, as Leader of the Opposition he represents a substantial proportion of the population and I don’t need Mr. Carter to tell me that.”
Further, the president said he remains open to discussing matters such as campaign financing legislation, ideas-sharing and reform of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).
By: Stacy Carmichael.
Image: Keno George.