The Parliamentary Opposition parties boycotted President Irfaan Ali’s meeting with members of the Parliamentary Foreign Relations Committee and the Parliamentary Economic Services Committee.

The President went ahead with the meeting this morning at his office by engaging parliamentary representatives from his party who sit on the two committees.

On Thursday, the Parliament Office extended invitations to the members of both committees on behalf of the President for them to attend the two meetings today at the President’s office, but no agenda was provided for the meetings.

In a statement, the Office of the Leader of the Opposition said it took umbrage to the manner in which the President sought to engage the members of the parliamentary committees, contending that he not only displayed complete disregard for the Office of the Leader of the Opposition, but also the independence of Parliament. 

“Members of Parliament are elected to represent the people of Guyana through their respective political parties. Opposition Members of Parliament do so collectively under the leadership of the Leader of the Opposition, a constitutional office established to provide oversight and accountability to the Executive. The President’s decision to bypass genuine engagement with the Leader of the Opposition and instead seek to engage individual parliamentary committees raises serious concern that this is an attempt to avoid meaningful engagement with the constitutional office and the person who holds it,” the Opposition Leader Office said.

Noting that parliamentary committees are not departments of the Executive, the Opposition Leader’s office said the President’s invitation to members of the Foreign Relations Committee and the Economic Services Committee to attend meetings at his Office without an agenda is troubling.

It was explained that clarification was sought from the Speaker of the National Assembly, including a request for an agenda or an indication of the purpose of the proposed meeting and no meaningful response was provided.

“The Office of the Leader of the Opposition respects the Office of the President. However, respect for that constitutional office does not require the Opposition to disregard the constitutional role of Parliament or the Office of the Leader of the Opposition. The President is not the state. The Executive is not Parliament. And the Opposition is not the enemy of Guyana. WIN remains willing to engage with the Executive, where such engagement is conducted with transparency and proper respect for the institutions of our democracy,” the Office of the Leader of the Opposition said.

In a separate statement this morning, the APNU Members of Parliament serving on both the Foreign Relations and Economic Services Committees said while they have no difficulty attending a meeting with the President to advance the interests of the Guyanese people, such meetings should take place before agreements are finalized and signed to allow for meaningful consultation.

“Presenting the opposition with an accomplished fact and calling it consultation is an unacceptable fait accompli,” APNU said.

The APNU members said a meeting with the President must have a clear agenda and the relevant documentation, including proposed agreements, financing frameworks and assessments of their implications must be provided ahead of the meeting. 

“Our decision cannot be reduced to an automatic acceptance or rejection of an invitation. We will assess whether there is a genuine opportunity to influence policy, obtain answers and secure improvements for the people we represent. Attending a meeting after national decisions have already been made with no genuine opportunity to change them is not consultation. It is a dictatorial exercise seeking cover behind a poorly planned political photo opportunity. Attendance must never be misrepresented as endorsement, and legitimate disagreement must never be dismissed as opposition to development,” the APNU said.

According to the APNU, foreign relations and economic development require adequate discussion and consultation before Guyana is committed to consequential actions, financial obligations or international arrangements. The government, APNU said, must explain the options, costs, risks and safeguards, and seek broad national support, and should not commit the country to actions whose national support it has neither sought nor established, then summon elected representatives to provide political cover.

It stressed that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government cannot substitute a presidential announcement for a national consensus, adding that the meetings were planned at a time when the Gas-to-Energy Project is facing major delays even as the country is confronted with constant power outages and a deep rise in the cost of living including the high cost of food.

The APNU said before any meeting, it expects a substantive agenda that accommodates the opposition concerns, timely documentation and sufficient opportunity to question the responsible ministers and technical officials.

It said the coalition remains ready for serious national dialogue but those meetings must be genuine.

The Forward Guyana Movement in a statement said it supports the position of the other two parliamentary opposition parties to not participate in the meeting with the President.

The FGM party said WIN and APNU are right to reject President Irfaan Ali’s latest attempt to engage Parliament selectively and entirely on his own terms, explaining that their refusal must not be reduced to a disagreement over attendance or the absence of an agenda.

The FGM said the larger issue is the President’s “continuing disregard” for Parliament as an institution, reminding that President Ali did not address the Thirteenth Parliament when it was convened.

“For five successive Parliaments before this one, the sitting President addressed the National Assembly at its opening. President Ali chose to present his national programme right outside the doors of Parliament instead of entering the Chamber to address the National Assembly. That deliberate choice has compounded the institutional disrespect”, the FGM noted.

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