General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo today appeared not to be in agreement with President Irfaan Ali meeting with the Opposition unless they are meeting for Constitutional matters.

Last week, the President said he is ready and willing to meet with the Opposition Leader at anytime, although the two have not met in over a year on any issue.

At a press conference today, Mr. Jagdeo said that the PPP has taken a position that it will work directly with the people and not with the Opposition despite the mounting calls for the two sides to engage each other.

“President Ali has made it clear that he will meet anytime with the Opposition when the matters relate to the performance of his Constitutional duties as President, but if you want to talk power-sharing etc; you have to talk to the People’s Progressive Party about this and our position has been clear,” Mr. Jagdeo said.

Last week, Outgoing US Ambassador to Guyana, Sarah Ann-Lynch, said the US is prepared to broker talks between the Government and Opposition, President Ali has already said that there is no need for that, while the Vice President believes that it is unnecessary.

Mr. Jagdeo said the PPP prefers to work directly with the people and not their elected representatives.

“They are creating this narrative now that we must buy-into, and acknowledge that they are ones who we have to work through, never mind many of them are corrupt, never mind they have no interest in the development of our country or Afro-Guyanese but they want the PPP must work through them

Jagdeo believes that persons are calling for inclusion not for the greater good of citizens to but to benefit their self-interest.

He said government will not be distracted by the calls for inclusion since such a call is not based on facts. He questioned whether the Coalition government was consulting with the PPP while in government.

Just last week, the AFC which was part of the Coalition Government reminded that the PPP was invited to sit on a number of Government boards while it was in opposition. There has been no such request of the current Opposition to sit on state boards.

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