…Harmon says clear agenda required for meeting

PRESIDENT David Granger and the Leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo will meet to initiate discussion on the appointment of a new Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), and other issues of national interest stemming from the June 18 Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) landmark judgments, but that meeting will occur at their convenience.

This is according to the Director General of the Ministry of the Presidency, Joseph Harmon. On the sideline of a commissioning ceremony at the University of Guyana, Turkeyen Campus on Thursday, Harmon told reporters that a letter would be dispatched to the Opposition Leader later that day.

It is not likely that the high-level meeting between the President and the Opposition Leader would take place before Monday when the CCJ will make a number of consequential orders intended to guide Guyana as it prepares for early elections in light of the passage of the controversial No-Confidence Motion.

“The President has always said that he remains open to engagements with the Leader of the Opposition as it relates to developments within our country, and this certainly is an opportunity for the two of them to meet. Certainly, it would have to be at the convenience of both parties, and a letter to that extent will be delivered or dispatched to the Leader of the Opposition later on in the day,” the Ministry’s Director General told reporters.

While the judgments on the No-Confidence Motion and the appointment of the GECOM Chairman were discussed when Cabinet met on Tuesday, Harmon said it is important to have a clear understanding of the rulings and their consequences. “We have had a discussion on it but of course the consequential orders will elaborate on the preliminary orders that were given, and so it is important that we understand clearly the true thinking of the CCJ in these elaborations that would take place,” he explained.

It was noted too that while the leaders will meet, a clear agenda is required. “The President and the Leader of the Opposition will meet, but they have to have a very clear agenda…,” Harmon posited while reiterating President Granger’s position that he remains committed to having engagements and dialogue with the Opposition Leader.

He said the leaders have met in the past, and will continue to do so.
“As a nation, we don’t have to wait on the CCJ to tell us to meet. We have been meeting before the CCJ, before we went to the CCJ, we have always met… We don’t have to wait on an order from the CCJ to tell us that we should meet, we have been meeting and we will continue to meet,” Harmon stated.

He added: “Monday’s order does not set a timeframe for the Leaders of our country to meet. Our leaders will meet at their convenience, when it is convenient for them to meet but at all times what we have said as Government, is that the door remains open for our leaders to meet.”

Harmon said the Opposition Leader requests a meeting, Government will accept but the President has made it clear that he is prepared to meet, and will invite the Opposition Leader to a meeting. He reiterated, however, that the meeting is dependent on their availability.

On Wednesday, President Granger told reporters that he will write the Opposition Leader this week to re-initiate the process of appointing a new chairman of the GECOM in light of the CCJ’s decision that the process of appointing Justice (Ret’d) James Patterson, Chairman of GECOM was flawed.

With the CCJ ruling that the motion of no-confidence against the government was successfully passed, the appointment of a new Chairman of the Elections Commission becomes even more important and urgent, now that early elections are now mandated.