The Opposition, APNU+AFC, complained today that despite an agreement with the Guyana Government that the two sides will confront Venezuela as one, the Government seems disinterested to engage the Opposition on crucial matters in relation to the ongoing border controversy.

During a Press Conference today, Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton said the Government appears to want to use the Opposition for optics rather than its input into the national response.

He told reporters that the Opposition is dissatisfied with the “ineffective and partisan” public education programme rolled out by the Government.

“At the level of the World Court, the Opposition was involved and invited to be there, outside of that, there seems to be no intention of involving the Opposition. Yesterday on the President’s visit, if you wanted to show a united front, you should have asked the Opposition to send a representative or two, so when you talk to people in the region, it is obvious to people it is not just the government speaking, it is the government and Opposition,” Mr. Norton told a news conference today.

Norton said the government appears to have been moving full speed ahead forming its public education and public relations programmes without the Opposition despite an agreement to do so as one. It is his conclusion that the administration wants the Government and Opposition to speak in one voice, but the Opposition must have no input as to what must be said.

He said Government is also organizing rallies and not inviting the Opposition. Consequently, Norton said the Opposition will be conducting its own awareness campaign in its strongholds to educate its base.

And at the level of the Parliamentary Foreign Relations Committee, Opposition Member of Parliament Amanza Walton-Desir said there is not much co-operation. She said although the Opposition shared its ideas in relation to public relations, the government has not taken those ideas on board.

“The issue of optics and of unity for optics alone we will not be part of that, and so we hope that the government will beef up attempts to involve the Opposition, the Opposition Members of Parliament, because we stand ready to cooperate,” Ms. Desir said.

PNC/R Central Executive Member, Dr. Gary Best, who has been invited to speak at several public lectures on the controversy, said there is an attempt to sideline Opposition figures from participating at some of those public lectures.

Best was scheduled to be a panelist for an event today at The Bishops’ High School today, but was later disinvited from the event.

He said the Government also needs to be mindful of the information it is releasing.

“For example, I heard last evening, of a high-level visit to Guyana by Defence Officials (from the US), but that kind of information ought to be communicated to the Leader of the Opposition,” Mr. Best noted.

Leader of the Alliance For Change Khemraj Ramjattan also bemoaned the Government’s attempts to go on the forefront alone on this controversy which affects the country.

Mr. Ramajattan expressed worry that the Government is more interested to use the issue, and Venezuelans coming here for electoral support rather than safeguarding the country.

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