President Jagdeo reiterates…
POLITICAL parties can work together towards the common good of the country but it can only be sustainable if built on trust and common national interest, according to President Bharrat Jagdeo.

Talking about political cooperation during his live television interview during the Cabinet outreach last Tuesday in Region Six (East Berbice/Corentyne), he recalled: “I have said that our party, from the very inception, put focus on a broad national agenda.

“We wanted all of our people included and we have worked hard in every community to expand our party base, because we believe our party should look like Guyana and all its composition and all its people. So we are working hard. Some areas we have had successes, we have had setbacks,” he reported.

President Jagdeo said: “And I believe we should find a way of working with other parties for the good of the country but this arrangement that we will have to put together to work together can’t be built on weak foundations.

“If people bring baggage to it, if they threaten it, threaten to go to the streets or to burn, if they don’t; if they constantly have, like the Mayor of Georgetown, conspiracy theories in their heads, these are people who are stuck in the past. So, this arrangement can’t be built around those sort of things.”

He reminded that the late leader of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Dr. Cheddi Jagan was always open. “Always spoke about national front government, give critical support when the borders were threatened etc, always had an open mind.”

President Jagdeo said: “Five years ago, we agreed to work with the Opposition, to sit down and discuss about how we can work closer together. We need this for our country with the PNC (People’s National Congress),” he maintained.

“It was a missed opportunity. Mr. Corbin (Robert), I think he went to the Congress and some of the same people who put out an ad recently, criticising him for his speech, which I thought was a good speech which was made a few nights ago, New Year’s speech, that group doesn’t want to see any healing in Guyana. That group wants to see confrontation.

“So, this is why I was saying that Mr. Corbin is to be commended for taking that line and I have already raised, with our party, that we should reciprocate and try to see if we can have a arrangement where we can all work to the common good for the country.

“And I know there are going to be people who are going to try to sabotage this, but those people don’t have any vision for Guyana and they, constantly, like to see confrontation. That’s not the way that we will provide a good future for our children. It is only if we all find ways of working together.”

“We can still fight the politics but it must be civilised. It must be respectful, we must not lie all the time and that sort of thing.”

The President posited: “We can work together when the issues are good for the country and disagree when we have differences but do so in a civilised manner that doesn’t further divide our people.”