REMEMBER that well known adage: ‘Saying and doing are not the same?’ Such, does indeed, apply to the political opposition here in Guyana. All Guyana would have remembered how much these two parties spoke of a new dispensation that heralded the political necessity of doing things differently.
Consensus, they trumpeted, was to be their way of doing business with the PPP/C government in the best interest of the nation and its peoples.
It was a position that newly inaugurated President Donald Ramotar fully embraced, supported and immediately set about his commitment with several rounds of discussions with representatives from both groups of the political divide.
But the forked-tongued nature of both APNU and the AFC was soon to be proven, with their vulgar and dishonest grab of both the Speaker and Deputy Speaker chairs of the House. The intensity of such gross display of political greed, by these two power grabbers, was frightening. It was a stab in the President’s back, who, onto the last moment held hopes for a consensual decision on the  important issue of the premier legislative vacancy.
And even in the light of such devious manoeuvrings, these two groups continue to mouth “consensus and cooperation”, which sounded not only disgusting, but reeked of clear deceit and deviousness.
Behold again, in the immediacy of the President’s opening of the Tenth Parliament, there was another grab, this time, for the very important Committee of Selection.  Amna Ally, one of the APNU seniors spoke in language that clearly signalled  the intent of the Opposition.

But, notwithstanding  the minority status of the government, and that such must be reflected as she further contends, it is  still  no reason for the APNU and the AFC  to want to control every aspect of the new Parliament’s functions.

Ally, does not need to remind anyone of the government’s position; of such, it is well aware, and explains further why it has chosen the path of consensus and working together for the common good.
Further, it is the government of the day with a mandate to govern.
They must understand that their behaviour has already sown the seeds of deep mistrust, perhaps, laying the framework for GRIDLOCK, which President Ramotar has warned against.
Both these opposition parties need to be reminded again, that this is a time of great national challenge which must not be transformed into crises.
How many times must they be reminded, that cooperation and working together is the key toward achieving results in the national interest, and that nothing less will suffice.