IT is my belief that the combined Opposition missed an opportunity when it rejected the President’s call for dialogue, which causes me to think that the Opposition is not serious about the development of our country, nor the uplift of its people.  An opportunity for dialogue between the Government and Opposition would have created an atmosphere for the members of the Opposition to better represent their constituents, instead of engaging in street protest, knowing fully well our history as it relates to protest. The call to protest action over dialogue can only be seen as a cheap, narrow-minded attempt to interrupt the peace our people now enjoy and to damage our now repaired image abroad.
The Opposition has accused the Government many times of not being flexible to their needs. This call to dialogue would have given them a fresh chance to have those demands laid out on the table, and would have created an opportunity to negotiate their positions and to find common ground on the issues they purport to represent.
It is my firm belief that APNU, in particular, has no sense of direction, nor doesn’t seem to know the direction towards progress. One day they are out demanding Local Government Elections, the next day they are demanding fresh General Elections, knowing fully well that GECOM is not in a position to hold either at the same time or within a year of each other. I believe this is one of the reasons they continue to reject dialogue because they don’t really want those unreasonable demands to be discussed. Their politics is not one of compromise and flexibility but rather politics that is confrontational, one sided and anti-developmental. None of this augers well for our country, and this can only lead to anarchy and confusion. I read with absolute outrage the demand by APNU members for a boycott of businesses that do not show its support for APNU’s position. This in itself is a crude reminder of the dictatorial practices that were unleashed on the business community and the wider society when the PNC held power. Demands like these strongly support the notion that this party has the proclivity to engage in intimidation. The business community has a right to be free of fear and intimidation. This notion of “what I say is the only thing that matters” is of a bygone era and has no place in today’s political arena. The Opposition must now seek to put the nation’s business ahead of vindictive politicking. They must realise that they were elected to represent the interest of the constituents for the common good of all.
The combined Opposition must now decide where their priorities lie and seek to engage the Government on the way forward. To head into another election with this same attitude will be catastrophic for the leaders of AFC and APNU. What can be the response when the question is asked: Why have you closed the door on talks, which could have led to more job creation, stronger legislation and enforcement against money launderers and drug traffickers, a modern airport that meets international standards and improvement in the Health Sector, among others?

Ossie Rodgers